Let Me Help You
by InsomniaticPulse
Summary: "Draco stopped as he continued to stare at her neck. There are…bruises. Hand bruises. No doubt about it. Choking. But…Granger? She received that from the Weasel?" Hermione escapes from Ron, only to bump into Draco. What happens when he discovers her secret? Mild language, slightly dark theme. Fluffy in between.
1. Let Me Help You

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Another one-shot! Okay so I don't really have much to rant on in my life. School work...blah blah blah boring stuff...feels. Anyways! So I decided to make this a ****_long-ish_**** one-shot. I know this could have been a multi-chapter, but I have this thing where I can't give it a cliffhanger and make you lovelies wait. Oh, I know some of you like to request for a sequel, but so far I'm not going to...maybe . (Unless you lovelies post a lot saying you want another...but those are for the others) Anyways! On to the story. It's slightly dark with a bit of swearing, but its fluffy. Enjoy! :)**

Hermione continued to huff and puff as she made her way through a little town near her home in Muggle London. She kept looking back every few seconds to make sure _he_ wasn't following her. _I need to get out of here. But, where should I go?_, she thought. She looked over her shoulder for the millionth time when a solid body bumped into her. Hermione felt herself body stiffen when a pair of hands tried to steady her.

"Whoa. Sorry Miss. I didn't see you there." A deep voice apologized.

Hermione kept her face down and mumbled. "It's no big deal. It was my fault anyway. Please excuse me." She was about to step away when the same pair of hands grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait! I really a-…Granger?"

Hermione glanced up and felt her face twist into a grimaced look. In front of her was the famous Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy. She watches as his look of shock turned into a look of disgust and then to a look of indifference. She shook her head and nodded sternly. "Malfoy."

Draco watched with amusement and curiosity. "Well, well. Know-it-all Granger. What a surprise. I thought you would be staying in the Wizarding World, proving that Muggle-borns are witches and wizards as well. Shouldn't you be at that blood traitor's home? Where is the Weasel, by the way?" He looked at her confusedly as she flinched at his mention of Weasley.

"That is none of your business, Malfoy." She spat and consciously wrapped her coat tighter around her.

Draco gave her a smug grin and folded his arms in front of his chest. "So, did he cheat on you? No surprise there. At least he put you in your place." He circled around her, inspecting her from head to toe. _Mmm, not bad Granger, _he thought, not realizing he had said that aloud.

Hermione felt herself flush in anger. "You're such a pervert, Malfoy."

Draco gave her a confused look and thought back to what he had just said. He immediately recalled his mistake and forced himself not to blush. Instead, he gave her a smug smirk, "Well, I can't help it. Plus, it's true. You have one hell of a body Granger. Mind letting me have a little taste?" He knew he shouldn't scare her like that but he liked seeing her scaring and angry. _Mmm, that is one nice sight…Then again that's all I ever see,_ he said to himself. He inched himself closer and ran his fingers down her arm slightly, causing Hermione to shiver. He felt his ego flare. _Even the Gryffindor Princess can't resist me, _he thought proudly.

Hermione felt herself shiver at Draco's touch. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. _It's just Malfoy. It's just-_ her thoughts were interrupted when she felt that same hand rest on her shoulder. Using her instincts, she shoved Draco away, not knowing he had pulled her scarf off. "Don't touch me."

Draco was about to retort back when he noticed some strange dark markings around her neck. He moved closed and pulled down the collar of her coat, despite her protests. His eyes widened and stepped away from her, shifting his eyes between her face and the marks. "What the-," Draco stopped as he continued to stare at her neck. _There are…bruises. Hand bruises. No doubt about it. Choking. But…Granger? She received that from the Weasel? What the fuck?, _he felt his heart unconsciously clench at the thought.

Hermione gasped when he pulled down her collar. _Shit! He knows! I bet he's going to tell his pureblood bigoted friends,_ she screamed internally. She snatched her scarf from Draco, who continued to look at her with a shocked and bewildered face. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and then turned her attention back to Draco, scowling at his silence. "Tell anyone about this and I won't hesitate to hex off your most beloved appendage." She side stepped and began to walk away when she felt Draco hold her back. She was about to lash out when he began to make his way through the crowd, pulling her along with him. Once they had gotten to a secluded alley, he had finally stopped. She was about to speak when she suddenly felt the tingling sensation of a side-along apparation. She gave him a glare as they both disappeared with a crack.

Seconds later, they appeared in a white room with a wide window and desks covered with paperwork. Draco had let go of her hand and began to take off his coat. Hermione forewent her embarrassment and began to shout at Draco. "What the bloody hell is your problem, Malfoy? Where did you take me? You have no right-"

"Go through that door over that and sit on the long chair. _Now,_" he commanded as he pointed to the brown door.

Hermione gave him another glare but obeyed. She walked through the door and looked around, pondering. _Hmm, this looks an awful lot like St. Mungo's, _her thoughts were interrupted yet again as the door opened.

"I said on the chair, Granger. Don't you follow directions?" Draco questioned with a bit of amusement. Hermione turned around and gaped. Draco was wearing a white doctor's robe with a clipboard in hand.

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Surprised, Granger? Yes. I am a healer at St. Mungo's despite that whole spiel on taking over the family business. I just said that during Hogwarts so that my father wouldn't kill me just yet. Now. Coat off."

Hermione's mouth continued to hang open, letting all the information sink in. A couple seconds later, she shook her head and cleared her head. She opened her mouth and then closed it, huffing at the defeat. She began to unbutton her coat, blushing as she felt Draco's gaze. She cleared her throat. "Um…could you turn around?" Draco nodded and turned around. Hermione breathes a sigh of relief and took off her coat. She hopped onto the chair, placing her coat beside her. "Okay…um you can turn around."

Hearing the shifting of the paper and Hermione's 'ok', he turned around. What he had seen nearly made his knees give out. _There aren't just bruises,_ he started as his eyes swept over her upper body, _knife wounds, whippings…and that's with her shirt on. Wait…what's that?_ He pointed to her wrists.

Hermione looks down and tried not to be disgusted. She sighed. _He is the doctor here, I guess it can't be helped. _"Cuff marks, although he did put them on too tight," she answered nonchalantly, "I did deserve it though. I had accidentally burned his breakfast."

Draco felt his anger rise. "So he decided to cuff you to the point where you would bruise and bleed? Let me guess, he thought that it was enough so he would beat you up to make him feel better? What the fuck? What happened to you Granger? What happened to the girl that had the nerve to punch me during third year?"

Hermione scowled at him. "You don't know anything Malfoy."

Draco scoffed. "Please. You think this is his way of showing that he loves you? He doesn't! You're letting him abuse you! What the hell kind of logic is that? When did you become so _weak_?"

Hermione's tolerate level had snapped. "I am not weak! How would you feel if the person you love blames you for every single death that had happened? How would you feel if you had a brother who was inches away from you, had died in front of your very eyes? How would you feel, knowing that, had you moved just a little close, you could have saved another life? I had to tip-toe around his family for 5 years knowing that each and every one of them blame me for it. Want to know the best part? My best friend Harry, whom I had known since we were in Hogwarts, can't even stand to look at me now. Oh and let's not forget my parents. After regaining their memories, they decided not to have anything to do with me so they chose to stay in Australia. They actually have another kid, did you know? She's 4 1/2 years old now. You have no idea how hard it is to live when no one around you wants you, so don't-"

Draco silenced her as he crushed her body his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back. he felt her face on the crook of his neck, her tears falling onto his skin. He tightened his hold on her as she had let go and sobbed loudly. He continued to hold her to him until her sobs had turned into small sniffles. After a few minutes, he finally spoke, pushing her so she could face him eye-to-eye, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rile you up like that. It's just…it's a healer thing. Always have the need to help others, you know? We have to know the cause and all of that. Anyway, this may sound strange coming from me, but let's forget our differences and let me help you. I can clearly see that you are severely traumatized, both physically and mentally by that arsehole. I don't want you to stay alone, so you will be staying at my place at the Manor." Hermione opened her mouth and way about to protest when he held up a hand. "No complaints. The Manor is fully warded. There are neither pureblood nor dark wards on them. Oh and don't worry about _that_ room. It's sealed off."

Hermione scrunched up her nose, trying to look for a reason not to go. Then she got an idea and smiled internally. "What about your parents? You know that they do not necessarily warm up to people like _me_."

Draco rolled his eyes. "No need to worry. They're vacationing up in Paris for a while."

A thought occurred to Hermione and gave a small smirk, "What about your wife? Wouldn't she find it odd that you're bringing home a girl, much less a _mudblood_ home?" She watched as Draco flinched at the word. "What? It's true. I am a _mudblood_."

Draco flinched again. "Please. Don't use that word. Believe it or not, but I actually hate that word. It implies filth and you are far from it. The Weasel on the other hand is far beyond what I had imagined," he said quietly. Hermione shrugged. He sighed. "So, are you going to stay with me or not?" He felt himself flush slightly at his choice of words and added, "For medical purposes, of course."

"You still haven't answered my other question." She stated.

Draco shrugged. "I _was_ married. Divorced now. The marriage contract didn't suit well with _Astoria._" He shivered unconsciously.

Hermione froze. "Wait. If you were married, then…don't you have a son?"

Draco nodded. "I do have a son. His name is Scorpius. You'll have no problem with him. He's really quiet around strangers, even to my friends' kids."

Hermione stiffened. "Doesn't he dislike…Muggle-borns?" she asked warily.

Draco shook his head. "When we were headed toward our last year at Hogwarts, I promised myself that if I survived the war, I would marry and teach my son not to be prejudiced. I would give him the freedom I couldn't have."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You, Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince of Hogwarts and high superior to Mudbloods, taught his son to not be prejudiced? Who are you and what have you done with the real Draco Malfoy?"

Draco let out a hearty laugh. "I've changed, Granger. War does that to people."

She sighed and nodded in absolute defeat. "Fine."

A sharp crack echoed outside the Manor as the two appeared outside the front gates. Hermione took in heavy deep breaths as she and Draco entered through the gates. Sensing something off, Draco turned his head slightly and looked at Hermione. He kept his grasp on her, squeezing slightly. Hermione snapped out of her trance. "I'm sorry if this place makes you uncomfortable, but I promise I will make it up to you. You won't regret it."

Hermione just nodded and continued to follow him up to the entrance at the Manor. Draco pushed open the door and Hermione stepped in. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. The place felt like it belonged to a Slytherin, yet it didn't have any eerie or dark presence to it. Much of the relics and dark artifacts were replaced with fine art pieces. The walls were painted over with a soft cream color, making the whole ensemble have a warm feeling to it.

"Mum redecorated the whole place. After the war and my father's early release thanks to Potter's help, my mum had taken over the Manor. She can be quite scary when she's angry. My father cowers when her voice is raised just by a hair. It's quite pathetic. Then again, she did threaten to divorce his arse if he didn't get his act together," he mentioned as he looked around the place.

Hermione stared at him before she burst into laughter. She immediately covered her mouth and tried to stifle her giggles. "I'm sorry Malfoy. I didn't mean any harm. I just, it's just ironic if you think about it. He used to instill fear within everyone and now he has gotten a taste of his own medicine."

Draco nodded and then extended his hand out, gesturing to the rest of the place. "Shall I show you the rest of the place?"

Hermione nodded again and followed Draco into a grand room. He was about to gesture out about the room when he noticed two figures sitting elegantly on the sofa, watching his every move. He froze and stuck his arm out and pushed Hermione behind him, shielding her. She let out an inaudible screech and whispered quietly.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she was about to move when a soft but affirmative voice spoke.

"Hello, son." Lucius welcomed warily, eyeing the person behind Draco.

"Hello father, mum." He greeted sternly. Hermione felt herself stiffen at the mention of his parents. _I thought you said they were vacationing,_ she thought as she glared daggers at the back of his head.

Draco mentally cursed. _Shit. I'm sorry Granger! I didn't know!_

Narcissa finally spoke. "We decided to come home early. We didn't want young Scor to be with the elves the whole time," she started as she tilted her head to the side, looking behind Draco. "I thought I had taught you proper manners. It seems you have forgotten how to introduce someone to your parents, especially the one behind you," Narcissa smiled when she saw Draco flush in embarrassment.

Draco cleared his thought. _Well, here it goes._ "Mum, Father. I believe you two have met this person under different circumstances. This," he side-stepped, revealing Hermione, "is Hermione Granger. She will be staying with us for the time being. The reason is strictly confidential so don't try and manipulate it out of her. I also don't want the both of you to degrade her just because of her blood type. She is just as much of a witch as you are."

Hermione continued to look down as Draco explained his conditions to them. She mentally gaped at the fact that he had just defended her, even though it was for medical purposes. _Maybe it won't be so bad-_

"Do you have any idea what this girl has done? She brought down our Dark Lord! She locked up the remaining Death Eaters! What makes you think I will let this Mudblood-"

"_Lucius!"_ Narcissa hissed out loudly.

Hermione watched in amazement as Lucius flinched and lowered his head at Narcissa's reaction. Lucius glanced at his wife who gave him a death glare in return. He looked away and suddenly became interested at the painting beside him.

Narcissa scowled and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Hermione. She got up and made her way toward the two, a small smile upon her lips. She hugged her son warmly and then turned to Hermione. "Forgive my husband. Luckily, he knows what happens when I get ticked off, " she jerked her head slightly at her husband, causing Hermione to smile. Hermione shifted her gaze to Draco who smirked. Narcissa stared at the two with curiosity but continued to talk, " that being said, it is a pleasure to properly meet you, Ms. Granger. I hardly call our last encounter a good way to meet."

Hermione chuckled slightly, causing Narcissa to smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you er…Lady Malfoy."

Narcissa let out an un-ladylike sound. "Please, call me Narcissa or Cissy. Lady Malfoy makes me sound and feel old. I don't look that old, do I?"

Hermione gasped. "Oh no, of course not! I honestly thought you were not a day over 25. Oh and please, call me Hermione."

Narcssa let out a small giggle. "We will get along just fine, Hermione. Oh! You must have a tour of the house!"

"I was going to, mum. That is, until I found you two in here," Draco spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Oh! Draco! I forgot you were there. Please give Hermione a tour of the place and then show her the room she will be staying at. Dinner is served promptly at 6. Now, off you two go." Narcissa ushered the two of them out of the room. The two turned left and continued down the hall. Narcissa sighed with a small smile. She turned back to her husband and put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot lightly. Lucius looked up and Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Er…heh…hello, love."

Hermione continued to have a small smile on her face as she walked beside Draco. "That wasn't as awkward as I thought. Your father really is scared of her," she admired.

"I think she is his ultimate weakness," Draco chuckled,"Anyways, this is the kitchen. Feel free to use it however, you will have to fight some of the elves."

"Are they-"

"Free? No, but they are well taken care of. Fairly high wages compared to most. They would rather kill themselves than give up the work." Draco continued around the ground floor, showing her the dining room, ballroom, indoor pool, and study rooms. He came to a set of dark brown doors with serpent handle sets. He pushed open the doors and Hermione let out a gasp.

"It's a-"

"You're welcome to use it whenever you want. They are the same as the whole Manor. There are no dark magic books or pureblood books." He looked at Hermione whose eyes continued to light up with her mouth agape as she circled around, looking at all the books.

He felt his lips curl into a small smile and checked his watch. "Shall we continue the tour?" Hermione continued to look at the books a bit more before she nodded.

They made their way upstairs and toward the rooms. Draco continued to feed her little facts about the house and the family traditions. Hermione was mentally shocked at how their upbringing was enforced. After passing what seemed like a million doors, they finally halted. "This is my room," Draco pointed out as he opened the door, "I usually hang around here or at the library, if you need me."

He pointed to the door across his room. "That will be your room so it's easier to monitor you." Hermione walked across the hall and pushed open the door.

"This…is bigger than my whole apartment," she said quietly as she eyed the plush bed. Draco resisted the urge to smirk and let out a small cough. "Well, I will leave you to settle. I will meet you downstairs for dinner." He turned and made his way downstairs.

Hermione plopped on the plush bed, sighing as she recalled what had happened the past few hours. She dug inside her pocket of her jacket and took out her charmed sat up and began to reach inside her bag, searching for her clothes and toiletries. She walked over to the massive armoire and began to put away her clothes when she heard faint footsteps approaching her room. She turned around and her eyes met a set of grey-blue eyes and platinum blonde hair.

The child stared back at Hermione when she spoke. "Hello. You must be Scorpius." She gave him a small smile. He return it with a small one.

"H-Hello Miss." He said shyly, looking around her room.

Hermione tilted her head to the side. "Are you looking for something, young sir?"

Scorpius blushed a little. "I a-am…I can't find my stuffed dragon."

Hermione smiled internally. _He's so cute! _"Well, shall I help you look for it?" She watched as his face lit up. He nodded profusely. She got up and walked towards him, closing her door in the process."Shall we start with your room?" she asked.

He nodded again and began to walk towards his room. Hermione followed close behind him, resisting the urge to giggle at his adorableness. "T-Thank you Miss. Daddy, Grandfather, and Grandmother are usually busy," he told her out of the blue.

He looked up at her and she smiled. "It's no problem, young sir. Oh and please call me Hermione." He nodded and entered his room with Hermione behind him. She rolled her eyes and smiled. _Malfoy has high hopes that his son will be in Slytherin,_ she said mentally as she looked at all the green coloring that plagued Scorpius' room.

She watched as Scorpius began to check high and low for his dragon. She shrugged internally and began to search with him. "When did you have it last?" she asked softly. She watched as his brows furrowed and tried not to laugh. "I had him when I went to bed." She saw as his lip quiver and made her way toward him. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll find it, don't worry. In fact," she said as she scooted towards the bottom of his bed, "I have an idea where it might be." She watched in amusement as his eyes lit up once again. "Really? Where?"

She put her finger to her lips. "First, I want you to close your eyes." He immediately closed his eyes, biting his lower lip in excitement. Hermione bent down and looked under the bed, her eye catching a fuzzy green plush toy. She grabbed onto the toy and pulled it out. She smiled, _Thought so. _She decided to do something nice for Scorpius and took out her wand. She muttered a little spell, causing the wings of the dragon to flap. She looked at Scorpius and told him to open his eyes.

Once he had opened them, he gasped and squealed happily. She let go of the dragon, watching as it flew towards Scorpius. He watched in amazement as the dragon flew to his arms and then hugged it close to himself. The dragon nuzzled against him before retracting his wings to its former position. He looked back at Hermione and ran toward her. He wrapped his arms around her legs, his dragon crushed between his chest and her legs.

"Thank you so much Miss Herm-…Hermi-…Herr….Um…" Hermione giggled and patted his back.

"It's okay, young sweet. Call me 'Mione."

He looked up at her and gave her a big smile. "Thank you 'Mione." She nodded. He looked around his room and then lightly tugged on her hand. She continued to look at him as his face turned bright red. "Can you play with me, please?" he asked quietly.

She watched as he looked down and placed gave his hand a light squeeze. "Of course. Shall we play 'pretend'?"

He gave her a confused look. "How do you play that?"

"Well, you think of what you want to be as, like a wizard and then with our imagination we 'pretend' we're on an adventure!" She explained.

"I wanna play!" he said enthusiastically.

For the next couple of hours, Hermione and Scorpius 'pretended' that they were fighting evil monsters and riding on dragons. Both retired for the 'day' and came back to reality. Hermione made her way to her room after making sure Scorpius was getting ready and transfigured the objects back to its original state. She went back to the armoire with a smile still plastered on her face. _That was a lot of fun! Strange, I haven't felt this way since before the war. Scorpius is so different compared to Malfoy. He's so sweet too!, _Hermione continued to grin madly while she took out some fresh clothes. She began to strip down to her bra and knickers, not noticing her door opening. She turned around and yelped in surprise.

"Mr. Malfoy! Sir! Um.." Hermione scrambled around and found her robe. She threw it on herself and blushed heavily.

Lucius continued to stare at her quietly, mentally processing at what he had just seen. _What was that? Were those-_ He snapped out of his thoughts and put on his straight face. "Ah, Ms. Granger. I had knocked, but it seems like it wasn't loud enough. My apologies," he unconsciously continued to stare at her robe, causing Hermione to shift uncomfortably, "Anyway, I had come here to apologize about earlier. Old habits die hard.

Hermione nodded. "It's quite alright. I never expected you to warm up to me. I'll stay out of your way as much as possible if it makes you feel better."

He held up a hand. "No, it's quite alright. Forgive me for it will take some getting used to, but I do hope we can look past what had happened before." He extended his hand out to her and in return, shook it. "Well, I shall see you in a few minutes. Until then, Ms. Granger." He departed out of her room, leaving a bewildered Hermione.

_What just happened?_ she asked herself as she looked at the door Lucius had just exited.

Once Lucius exited Hermione's room, he shook off his facade as he recalled what had happened minutes before. His eyes went from disgust to shock to sympathy. He looked at her door. _I've seen people with scars like that. Bloody hell, even I have inflicted damage on others, but not _that _much. I've never seen so many wounds like that. How can she be so calm about it? How long has that been going on? _His mind continued to throw out questions as he made his way back to his room. He finally entered his room, only to find a curious Narcissa.

"Well?" she asked, noting Lucius' unusual stare. "Lucius!"

He jumped slightly, trying to refocus. "Ah, hello Cissy."

She rolled her eyes. "So did you talk to her?" He nodded. "And?"

"She's agreed to put everything behind her and start fresh. I told her that it will take some time for me to get used to it and she's okay with it." He watched as Narcissa's lips broke out into a large smile.

"Wonderful! I don't think I could stand a house full of 'blood type tension'." Lucius eyes were casted down and sighed deeply. Narcissa looked at him worriedly. "Lucius? What is it?" He looked up at her, his eyes changing from steel to soft grey.

He shook his head. "I can't say. You have to see it yourself." He exited the room, leaving a confused and curious Narcissa.

Hermione emerged from her room minutes later in a pair of dark wash fitted jeans and a long sleeve dark green shirt. She put her hair up into a messy bun after covering the bruises with a heavy concealment charm. She walked into the dining room only to be welcomed by the whole Malfoy family. Lucius was the first to speak. "Ah, Ms. Granger. I'm glad you could eat with us. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Draco stared at his father with his mouth hung open. _What the- Am I missing something here? _He continued to shift his gaze between Hermione and his Father. He decided to cut in their conversation. "Okay. What the bloody hell is going on here?"

Lucius turned and raised an eyebrow. "I'm simply doing as you asked. I'm trying to look past the differences. Honestly Draco, where are your manners? Remember, Scorpius is at the table."

Draco turned his head towards his son whose head was tilted downward. He mentally kicked himself. "Right, sorry Scor." Scorpius nodded and waited for the food to come.

Dinner had finished rather quietly. Scorpius only talked when he was spoken to and Lucius had tried to coax Hermione into talking, much to Draco's discomfort and surprise. Narcissa tried to hide her pleased smile when she watched the interaction between her husband and Hermione. She looked away when she remembered what Lucius had told her earlier. _Hmm…I need to speak to her, huh._

Hermione shrugged out of her clothes and into her pajamas, too exhausted to do anything else. She tucked herself into her bedroom when there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." She was shocked when Narcissa walked through the door.

"Hello Hermione. I'm so sorry to bother you at such a late hour, but this couldn't wait. I would like to apologize again for my husband. He's not as easily open-minded as Draco and myself. I would like to thank you though, for giving him a chance."

Hermione gave her a small smile. "I would actually like to thank you, Cissy. I had an inkling you said something to him. I admire your strength and power you have over him. It's pretty scary, actually."

Narcissa let out a girlish laugh. "Ah, well, when you're a Lady Malfoy you pick up a thing or two from the men here. That isn't what I wanted to talk about, although I would like to talk about it more sometime. Perhaps we could go shopping together? I can tell you all sorts of embarrassing moments Lucius and Draco had. You would be surprised." Hermione giggled, causing Narcissa to smile brightly. "Well, I should leave you to rest. I shall see you in the morning. Goodnight Hermione." She turned and exited.

Hermione closed her eyes, her smile still plastered on her face as fell into a dreamless sleep.

A few days later, Hermione woke up strangely refreshed. She jumped out of bed and into the bathroom, deciding she should take a quick shower. As the water rolled down her body, everything that happened came crashing down on her.

_It's all your fault…_

_How dare you show your face to me…_

_Why should I help you? You filthy…woman..._

_You are nothing to me…_

_Disgusting..._

_Mudblood…Mudblood….Mudblood…MUDBLOOD!_

Hermione's eyes snapped open, gasping as she grasped her head trying to clear her thoughts. She shook her head and stepped out of the shower, drying herself magically. She decided not to wear any concealments and changed into a big baggy long sleeve sweater dress with some black leggings. She left her hair down and finished it off with a pair of black flats. She opened her door and was about to walk out when she bumped into something solid.

"Ah. Granger. Good morning," he greeted softly.

She looked up and nodded. "Malfoy."

Draco watched as she tried to cover her panicked face and stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

Hermione took one step back. "I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes and grasped her arm lightly, tugging as he made his way to his room. He sat her down on her bed and closed the door, warding it just to be safe. "Okay Hermione. It's safe. Now tell me. I want to help you, remember?" Hermione looked at him with a shocked face. "What?"

"You called me Hermione."

Draco felt his face flush slightly and cleared his throat. "Well, you are my patient. Plus, I think it's safe to say that going by last names are going to be difficult around the Manor."

She cracked a smile and then frowned. "It's nothing really. I just remembered somethings they told me." Draco stayed quiet, giving her time to explain herself. She looked up at him and sighed. "It really is nothing. They only called me a Mud-" she covered her mouth and cursed under her breath.

Draco felt a nerve twitch and his hands turn to fists. He exhaled slowly. "I…see."

"Mal-er…Draco really. It's no big deal. Think of it this way, I'm not being beaten anymore so it's okay. They're just words. Words can't hurt me." She got up and wandlessly dissolved the spells. She walked out of his room, leaving him unable to speak. _How can you be so calm about this?_ he questioned.

Breakfast passed with just Narcissa, Hermione, Draco, and Scorpius at the table. Lucius was unable to join for he had to set up urgent meetings with the foreign buyers. Narcissa had something planned for the day and Draco had to work which left Hermione with Scorpius.

"You don't have a job?" Draco asked as he was gathered his things. Hermione shook her head.

"I was unable to find work because Ron wanted me to stay home," she answered. _More like chained me to the stove_, she thought. "I would like to work at a bookstore someday."

Draco thought for a moment before shaking his head and turned to his son. "You two behave okay?" He leaned down wrapped his arms around Scorpius, kissing his forehead. He walked to the chimney and disappeared in the green flames.

Hermione and Scorpius looked at each other with a mischievous smile. "Shall we see what's happening with the dragons protecting the land and gold?" Scorpius nodded and ran up his room. Hermione giggled and chased after him. She caught up to him and gathered him into her arms. Scorpius giggled and squirmed in her arms. Hermione ran into his room and shut the door, transforming everything to where they had left off last night.

Hours later, a flash of green flame erupted through the floo, revealing a pleased Narcissa and a handful of bags. She set the bags down and asked one of the house elves if they could bring it up to her room. Once the elf disappeared, she made her way up the stairs to visit Scorpius. Once she had faced the door, she heard faint sounds that sounded like laughter. Her eyes widened and quietly opened the door. What she had seen surprised her greatly. In front of her was her giggling grandchild with an equally happy Hermione. They seemed to be chasing something seeing as how both of them kept moving wooden swords around. Narcissa closed the door and made her way to her room, excited to tell Lucius what she had just witnessed.

Minutes later, Hermione and Scorpius were laying on the floor out of breath. Hermione turned to Scorpius and ruffled his hair a little bit, causing Scorpius to smile. "That monster… was evil! He had a…huge… army! We barely made it!" Scorpius panted out.

Hermione giggled. "The journey to the castle itself took ages!"

Scorpius let out a small chuckle and then frowned. Hermione sat up and looked at him worriedly. "What's wrong, sweet?" Scorpius warmed at the name she gave him, but continued to frown.

"You're so different compared to my mum," he said as he sat up. "I don't like her. She was mean. She never played with me. Daddy played with me instead. Mum would always disappear in the early morning and then come home late at night. She never loved me."

Hermione frowned and swept him into her arms giving him a big hug. "Listen Scorpius, you shouldn't let that bring you down. Think of it this way, she brought you into this world. Besides, you are your dad's pride and joy. I can tell because every time he sees you, his eyes light up. Your dad loves you. So does your Grandmother and Grandfather."

"Do you love me?" he asked, looking up into her eyes.

Hermione felt her heart tighten and held him close to her. She whispered in his ear. "I love you, sweet Scorpius." She felt his tiny arms wrap around her neck and return the hug.

Lucius returned home half and hour before noon to a happy Narcissa. "You seem to be quite happy. I assume something good happened earlier?"

Narcissa nodded her head rapidly. "Oh Lucius, you would not believe what I had seen today. When I got back home from a little shopping, I visited Scorpius in his room and I witnessed something unbelievable. I heard and saw him giggling with Hermione! They seemed to be playing some sort of make believe game, seeing as how they were waving wooden swords in the air frantically."

Lucius' mouth dropped open as she explained what she had seen. After a minute, he regained his control of his movements and his lips curled slightly. "Well, I believe Ms. Granger is the key to helping Scorpius get out of the 'shy' stage." _Hopefully Scorpius will help her in return. Merlin knows how much trauma she has suppressed all these years._

"You should go visit her in her room, Cissy. I have a feeling you had bought her something during your little outing." Narcissa blushed and pecked her husband's cheek.

Hermione had left Scorpius to rest a little before lunch and for the house elves to help give him a bath after their shared moment. She put her hand to her heart and smiled warmly at the memory. She walked into her room and was about to change out when a loud knock sounded on her door. She opened the door and in came Narcissa with a bag behind her back. "Oh! Cissy! How was the shopping?" she asked as she ushered Narcissa to sit beside her on her bed.

"Wonderful! I found so many outfits for little Scor. He looked a little bored with his toys so I bought him some more." Narcissa said as she set the bag down beside her.

"That's great! He seems to be a bit bored with his old toys. It'll be nice to see him play with something new, as long as it's not dangerous." Hermione said thoughtfully.

Narcissa's eyes warmed. "I see you have taken a liking to young Scor. May I ask why?"

Hermione gave her a small smile. "I've never had a sibling before when I was growing up. When Draco told me that he was struggling to talk to others normally, I figured I should try. Funny, it started when we were looking for his stuffed dragon. I don't really know how to explain it, but we just clicked. I like hanging around him. I make him laugh and he somehow fills me with joy."

Narcissa had to stop her eyes from shedding any tears. She patted Hermione's hand. "Thank you, Hermione. You have no idea how much this means to all of us. We were worried that Scorpius would turn out just like his father, always quiet and reserved. I'm glad he has finally made a friend." Hermione nodded. Narcissa remembered why she was there. "Oh! That's not all why I came here. I wanted to give you this," she said as she handed the bag to Hermione.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Really Cissy, you didn't have to!" She tried to refuse but Narcissa shook her head. "It's a gift, Hermione. Think of it as a welcoming gift. Oh and I'll let you in on a little secret. I've always wanted to have a daughter that I can spoil. You'll do that for me, won't you Hermione?" Hermione's mouth hung open, unable to defend herself. Narcissa took that as 'yes'. "Wonderful! Now! I want you to try them on!" She led Hermione to the bathroom with the bag in hand, "Don't come out until you're dressed in one! I want to see!" She closed the door, leaving a bewildered Hermione.

Hermione sighed and opened the bag. Inside were a bunch of casual dresses in dark blue, green, and black. Hermione decided to try on one of the dark blue dresses. It was a sleeveless scoop neck with an asymmetrical hem. She twirled around, liking the look of the dress. She stepped out of the bathroom, looking slightly downward.

Narcissa's smile disappeared once she set her eyes on Hermione's body. Hermione looked up at her confusedly and then looked down. Her eyes widened and tried to cover up her body. She ran back into the bathroom and changed back into her original clothes. She walked out again, finding Narcissa frozen in her spot. She looked down and spoke, causing Narcissa to jump a little. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I had forgotten all about it. It's weird. These scars were always a reminder, but once I had stepped in this place they completely escaped my mind," Hermione held out the bag in front of Narcissa, "I don't think I can accept these. They are really beautiful, but I think they are being wasted on a battered body."

Narcissa continued to say nothing, but stepped forward. Each step she took, she watched as Hermione shrink and cower. She put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. She looked up and Narcissa gave her a weak smile before crushing Hermione to her. Hermione stood there, unable to move. Narcissa continued to hug her, a few tears spilling out. "I'm so sorry Hermione," she whispered quietly, "I never knew…How-"

"It's okay Cissy," she reassured her as she snapped out of her initial shock, "I got used to it after a while. I just tell everyone they're battle scars." She tried but failed to lighten up the mood, causing Narcissa to hug her tighter, her tears falling onto Hermione's shoulder.

Minutes went by when Narcissa finally eased her grip on Hermione. "I'm sorry for making you see me like this," Narcissa finally said, "I just…last time was hard for me to see such a young innocent girl tortured, but…to see that same girl be tortured for unreal reasons is unheard of." She wiped away her tears and faced Hermione, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I may not know the whole story behind all this, but I want to let you know that no one under this roof will do this to you. We will make sure that _he _will not step within 3 feet of you." Hermione gave her a small smile and nodded.

After the tearful moment between Hermione and her, Narcissa visited Scorpius' room to give him his new things. Scorpius gave her a hug and began to play with his new toys, making her crack out a smile. She then retired to her room for the rest of the afternoon, informing the elves to tell Hermione and Scorpius that she will be joining them for dinner.

Hermione and Scorpius came down an hour later to eat a late but light lunch. Hermione asked Scorpius if he would like to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with his new toys and he agreed, right after giving her an apologetic hug. Hermione made her way to the library,pushing at the doors. She let the pads of her fingers scrape the spine of the books in the library. She stopped once she got to the astrology section and immediately pulled out the book of her choice. _Origins, Myths, and Legends of the Constellations_, she thought with a smile. _Interesting, maybe I can learn a little bit about why this family is so keen on stars for names. _She sat down on the large sofa, tucking her legs under her. She called for an elf to bring her a cup of tea and immersed herself into the book.

Narcissa laid on her bed, gripping her chest lightly. Her heart clenched every time her mind would bring up the image of Hermione's body. Just then, Lucius walked into the door, finished with the final paperwork that was done in his study.

"Hello, Lucius." she greeted quietly. Noting his wife's distress, Lucius moved quickly and sat beside her on the bed. "What's wrong, Cissy?" He tilted her face so she could look at him, wiping away her tear tracks.

She sat up and took in a few deep breaths. "I saw it," she started, seeing Lucius nod in her peripheral vision,"Lucius, I've never seen someone with that many scars. How could she have survived that? That's more than what Draco had gotten from the Dark Lord and Mr. Potter combined. I don't understand. Why would anyone want to hurt this girl? More specifically, one of her best friends?

Lucius sighed. "I don't know…I don't know Cissy. Draco told us to keep it strictly confidential. If he wants it that way, then he will. All we can do now, is make sure that _he _will not come near her."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "Am I thinking what you're thinking?"

Lucius nodded. "She will be protected. That is for sure."

Meanwhile, Hermione continued to submerge herself in the book, ironically fascinated by the constellations Draco and Scorpius. She didn't notice the door open and faint steps that made their way to her. The person cleared their throat, causing Hermione to jump and scream in surprise. "Shi- Draco! Don't do that! You scared me!" She put a hand over her racing heart, glaring as he chuckled.

"Sorry. It's just too easy to scare you. Plus, it's amusing, seeing you all frightened and angry." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him making his chuckling turn into a warm laugh. Hermione forced herself not to smile and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Was there a reason for you to bother me?" she asked.

"Not really. I'm home from work and I thought I might check up on you to see how you're doing. I had a feeling you were going to be here. After all, you are all about the books."

Hermione shrugged. "I wanted to let Scorpius play with his new toys Cissy bought him. Oh," she closed the book and looked up at him, "Cissy knows…and I have a feeling Lucius does too. He accidentally caught me changing. Cissy saw when I had forgotten to put on the concealment charm before changing into the dresses she got me. That reminds me, could you please return the dresses she gave me? I never got the chance to after that emotional moment."

Draco shook his head. "She won't take it back, especially now since she knows what has happened to you. Anyway, I should talk to mum and father about this. I can assure you that I will remind them of my conditions." He was about to walk away when Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Don't. Don't use this as an excuse to treat me any different. Besides, it's a lot easier now that they know. I don't have to go around as if I'm walking on eggshells," she said.

Draco sighed. "Very well. How was your day so far?"

Hermione smiled at the thought of Scorpius. "It was fine." Draco raised an eyebrow and Hermione left it at that, her smile still on her face.

A few weeks had passed and Draco had begun to see subtle changes between Hermione and his family. He would watch during their meals and he would see his father debating with Hermione about certain topics, giving him a run for his money in the end. He noticed his father always looked at her with sad eyes, surprising Draco. He would shift his gaze to his mum who seemed to like leaving one of her hands on top of Hermione's. _It's not like they haven't seen people with scars before, so why the sudden change? _he questioned himself. Lastly, he looked at little Scorpius. He watched as his son's eyes would light up every time Hermione would say something funny, even informative. _That boy really loves facts. They would be perfect. I have a feeling…_

Draco walked into his son's room, lost in his thoughts. "Daddy!" Draco jumped slightly and then smiled. "Hello, Scor. Ready for bed?" Scorpius nodded and climbed into bed. He grabbed his stuffed dragon and placed it beside him, making sure it doesn't go missing again. Draco stood beside his bed and began to tuck him in, wrapping the sheets around his little body.

"Daddy?" Scorpius asked quietly.

"Yes, Scor?"

"How long is 'Mione going to stay here?"

Draco stiffened and paused briefly, his eyes widening and snapping to his son. _'Mione..?_ He cleared his throat. "I don't know, Scor. It might be a while. Why, is she being mean?"

Scorpius shook his head back and forth. "No! She's really nice and pretty. I really like playing with her. She helped me find my stuffed dragon the day I met her," he said with a bright smile, "Can she stay here forever?"

Draco felt his mouth go dry. _What am I supposed to tell him?_ "Um…well…you should ask Gra- 'Mione…about that. It's up to her. Now, rest. Goodnight Scor. I love you." He kissed his son on the forehead.

Scorpius smiled and closed his eyes. "Night, daddy. Love you too."

Draco turned off the light and left his room, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the doorframe thinking about Scor's request. _He's attached to Hermione already,_ he thought with a smile, _maybe they will be able to heal together. _

"I've found you a place to work at. I think you'll like it. That is, if you are considering it." Draco mentioned nonchalantly.

Hermione turned to him, closing the book and placing it on her lap. "You have my attention. What is it?"

"I've talked to the bookstore owner in Diagon Alley. He's willing to hire you. You just have to mention your terms. He's actually in dire need of help." Hermione's jaw dropped and flung herself onto Draco, hugging him tightly. Draco sat there frozen, his face sporting a light blush. Seconds later, she released him and smiled brightly.

"Oh Draco, I have no idea what to say. Thank you so much! I'm so sorry for being such a burden and making you do this-"

He cut her off. "It's no problem, really. I figured you are bored hanging around the house with nothing but books and a young child. Plus, I figured you would like to make some money so you could…buy your place after you're fully recovered." Draco hesitated at the last part, looking down at the floor.

Hermione's smile fell. _Right, I would leave after I've healed. I forgot about that. Honestly, I kind of…don't want to. Then again I am after all, just a patient. It's not like they would want me to stay forever. _"Sure. I'm probably going to take a morning and noon shift. Hopefully I won't run into _him._"

"You won't," he reassured her, "I've talked with the owner and he will keep a look out for you. He's ready for you when you are."

The next day, Hermione left in the early morning and apparated into Diagon Alley, her things wrapped tightly around her. She walked into the bookstore and met up with the owner. After a couple questions, she was granted the opportunity to work the same day. Taking off her coat and putting up her hair into a high ponytail, she began to sort and place books in the shelves.

Meanwhile, Draco was sitting at the dinner table with Scorpius, eating their breakfast. "Where's 'Mione?" Scorpius asked curiously as he spooned some cereal into his mouth.

"She's going to be working at the bookstore while she recovers here." Draco answered.

"Why can't she just stay at home and play with me?" Scorpius asked sadly.

Draco looked at his son and frowned internally. _Oh Merlin, How am I going to explain…?_ "Well son, um…she doesn't want to..well…be a bother. She can't stay forever. I know she's your friend, but don't worry. You can visit her when she goes to her own home. You can even visit her when she's at work." Scorpius stared into his now soggy cereal and nodded while Draco continued to stare at him.

"She's not a bother…I wish she can stay," Scorpius mumbled.

Draco frowned. _I know son, I know._

Once Hermione floo'ed back to the Manor, she was tackled to the floor by Scorpius. Hermione smiled and hugged him tightly. "Hello sweet, did you have a good day?" He shook his head. "No, why?"

He looked up at her. "It's more fun when you play with me. Will you play with me, please?"

Hermione was about to protest and say that she was tired, but when she saw the look in his eyes thought of something else. She rolled around on the floor while holding Scorpius, causing him to giggle. She sat up and kept him in her arms, carrying him up the stairs. "I do believe there are stronger monsters destroying the village. You have your new weapons, yes?"

He immediately thought of new toy. "I know a faster way to get to the castle," Hermione's head tilted, "brooms!"

The next two months were the same routine. One Friday night, Draco went to visit Hermione to do the daily vital checks and procedures. He knocked on the door three times. On the third knock, Hermione opened the door, wrapping her robe around her. His eyes traced the faint outline of the curves of her body. His eyes snapped back to hers when she cleared her throat. "Ah..um right. I was just checking to see how you are doing." He stepped into her room and sat on her bed.

Hermione closed the door and made her way to him, sitting close beside him. He cleared his throat. "I'm doing fine as usual. Those potions that you gave me are doing wonders on the scars. They're very faint now. The wounds have closed up and fully healed. I'm almost as good as new," she notified him.

He nodded and proceeded to check her vitals. "So, mum was wondering if you would like to go with her and Scor shopping tomorrow around 11."

"Alright. It will be nice having a little outing with those two. I just hope Cissy won't buy me another boatload of dresses. She tends to go overboard." Hermione cringed a little.

Draco laughed. "Ah, let her be. It makes her feel better that way. I think that's her way of helping you. Anyway, you vitals are looking good. Keep taking in the potions and you'll be as good as new in a week." She nodded and he was about to leave when she caught his arm.

She wrapped her arms around his stomach, her head resting on his back. "Um...thank you, for rescuing me…for being there for me when I had no one else. You gave me the opportunity to have a break from reality. At first, I thought suppressing the events would make me better, but you helped me get passed them. I don't know how, but you did. So…thanks."

Draco felt his whole body flush and warm up at her touch. He rested his hands on her arms and lightly pulled them apart. He turned and faced her, re-wrapping her arms around him. He leaned forward a bit a placed a light kiss on her forehead. "No problem Hermione," he murmured against it.

The next day, Hermione was ready in the same dress Narcissa had made her try on with a pair of black flats and a thin black cardigan. Her hair was left down with a thin headband. She descended down the stairs where Narcissa and Scorpius was waiting. Narcissa looked up at her and gasped a little. "My, my Hermione! You look beautiful!" Hermione blushed and muttered a 'Thank you'.

Scorpius ran up to her and Hermione opened her arms wide, picking him up and setting him on her hip. He placed his hands on her cheeks. "Pretty," he pecked her cheek.

Hermione grinned and tapped him on the nose with her finger. "Adorable," she said before giving him a peck on the cheek. Narcissa bit her lip to stop herself from grinning like a mad woman. _They're so adorable together! That's it. I knew from the start, but this just sealed it. This girl is going to be my future daughter-in-law…even though I vowed that she was already. I will not let this one get away! So help me Draco, if I have to force you to be with this woman I use all my power to make that happen._ With a wave of her wand, they disappeared into Diagon Alley.

Seconds later after a large crack in the air, Hermione and the two arrived at the entrance of Diagon Alley. They went into Twilfitt and Tatting's where Narcissa bought a set of dress robes for both Scorpius and Hermione, along with an extra dress that was a dark blue strapless ball gown with a set of sterling silver necklace and earrings that were encrusted with little diamonds. Hermione asked why she had bought this for her and Narcissa waved her hand back and forth, dismissing the question.

Deciding that she needed some more casual pieces of clothing, she ventured off to Madam Malkin's with Scorpius, while Narcissa looked at other clothes at Twilfitt and Tatting's. Hermione scooped him up in her arms again and made her way through the store, looking for some nice shirts. Scorpius decided to help pick out some clothes for her and ventured off, not too far so that she could see him. Suddenly, she felt a vice like grip on her arm. She stiffened, her heart beating a mile a minute. "_Hello, 'Mione." _A deep and gruff-sounding voice spoke in her ear. She gasped. _No! It can't be! _ She began to panic and look for Scorpius, but couldn't find him.

"_I've missed you, 'Mione. Where did my little otter venture off to, hm? You know I don't like it when you disappear on me like that. You know what happens when you do._" The voice hissed out the last part.

Hermione tried to shrug off the arm, but failed. Scorpius appeared in front of her with a worried look. "'Mio-" He was unable to finish. Hermione felt the effects of apparition and felt her insides churn. She closed her eyes. _Scor, run._ They disappeared with a pop, leaving Scorpius wide-eyed. "'Mione?" he looked around as tears began to fall, "'MIONE!" He raced out the store and into Twilfitt, searching for Narcissa. He spotted her and ran up to her, all out of breath and teary-eyed.

Narcissa looked at him in alarm and crouched down to his level. "What's wrong Scor? Where's Hermione?"

Scorpius burst out crying. "Mummy's gone…bad man…took mummy."

She looked at him confusedly. "Mummy?"

He nodded, not looking at her. "Mummy…Mummy 'Mione."

A crack echoed through the musty air, signaling Hermione that she was in some place and indoors. _It smells like…blood. _ She continued to close her eyes and tears spilled. She heard heavy steps circle around her, faint _tsks _following along. "_You knew this would happen 'Mione. You shouldn't have left." _

Hermione's eyes snapped at the person. "What, so you can beat me again? I had enough, Ronald!"

His fist connected with her face. "_SHUT UP!_" She gripped her cheek, but continued to glare at him. A vein popped and pulsed over his eyebrow. He punched her again and again. "_You belong to me. Know your place, wench. Incarcerous." _Hermione felt her hands and feet being tied up by invisible ropes. She watched as he muttered a spell. Her eyes widened as his wand transformed into a whip. "_Now, how many do you deserve? I'm thinking 1 for each day you disappeared on me._" She spat at his feet, causing his anger to grow. He grabbed a fist full of hair and yanked it up so that she was face-to-face with him. "_No? Okay then. 2 for each day._" He turned her so she was on her back and gave a feral grin. "_Now, shall we begin?_"

The floo burst wildly, and out came a frantic Narcissa and equally scared Scorpius. "Lucius! Draco! Come down here, quickly!" she roared. Minutes later, Lucius and Draco descended down the stairs with confused looks. They spotted Scorpius with tear tracks and immediately knew something was wrong. Draco moved towards him and picked him up, hugging him tightly. Scorpius wrapped his arms around his dad, squeezing tightly.

"Are you okay, Scor? Did you hurt yourself?" he felt his son shake his head. "What's wrong-"

"'Mione is gone. A bad man came and…and," his eyes watered, "he took her. He did that thing Grandmother did to get to the stores."

Draco stiffened. _No. It can't be…_"Scor, tell me. Who took 'Mione? What did he look like?"

Scorpius scrunched up his face and thought hard. "He was strong looking. He was tall, like you daddy and um…he had funny orange hair. Daddy, please bring her back. I…I love her, daddy." He looked down and sobbed.

Draco felt a strong pair of hands on his shoulders. "Let's go and find her, son." Draco looked up to see the same frazzled look he had on his father. Draco nodded and was about to apparate when he felt another pair of hands on him.

Narcissa leaned in and whispered into his ear. _Scorpius called her Mummy when he came to me. You always give her those longing looks. You two have become attached to her. Don't deny it. Bring her back or Merlin help me, I will make it so that you will never see the daylight ever again._ Draco froze, his eyes locked with hers. Narcissa played it off and smiled. "Come back safely!"

Hours later, Draco and Lucius arrived back at the house with no sign of Hermione. Draco looked at his father, hoping he has some thought on where she might be. Lucius looked at him and shook his head. "I don't know son."

Narcissa looked down sadly. Suddenly, there was a faint pop and a house elf appeared. "Bimbi!" Narcissa exclaimed, "What is it, Bimbi?"

Bimbi looked up at her master. "Master, Bimbi has some news. Bimbi had heard some strange noises coming from the drawing room. Bimbi tried opening it but Bimbi couldn't. Bimbi even tried to apparate inside but Bimbi couldn't." All three of them looked at each other and then at Bimbi.

"Thank you, Bimbi. You may have the rest of the day off." Narcissa said with a nod. She turned to her son and husband. "Do you think..?"

"Only on way to find out." Draco said before hurrying off to the drawing room with Narcissa and Lucius close behind him. Once he got there, Lucius stepped in front of his son.

"You must let me do this. Only I know the counter-curse to this spell. It was created so that the one who did the spell is the only one who could lift it." Lucius took out his wand and muttered continuously for half a minute. At the last word, the doors shuddered and a slight pop echoed against the walls. He waved his wand again, checking for any other spells. "He put up some locking and silencing spells. The person seemed to place a spell that prevents anyone else from apparating in or out. However, they're not strong so they're easy to dispel."

Draco stepped in front of his father and concentrated on the spells. _Hmm_, he smirked, _Easy._ With a wave of his wand, all the spells dispersed. He barged through the doors and froze, his eyes wide. Lying on the floor was a bloody and unconscious Hermione. His eyes snapped to the person hovering over her and growled loudly. A flash of red flew past him at toward the person. He turned around and saw both of his parents wands were out and pointed towards the guy.

"Step away from her, blood traitor." Lucius snarled. Ron gave them a fierce grin. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Hermione's cheek. Draco took on step forward, but Lucius held him back. "Not yet, son." He watched as Ron waved his wand around him and disapparated. Just before he disappeared he gruffly said "_I'll be back for her._"

Draco ran towards Hermione and picked her up. He sprinted towards her room, her blood leaving little trails on the floor. "Please Hermione. Don't…Don't" he whispered to her. He kicked open her door and was surprised to see Scorpius laying on her bed. Scorpius looked at his dad and then shifted his gaze to Hermione. He started to weep. Draco tried to calm him while he continued to carry Hermione. "She'll be okay, Scor. I want you to stay with Grandmother and Grandfather while I take care of her, okay? I will get you when she's clean and covered up." Scorpius nodded and walked out of the room, catching one last glance at Hermione.

Draco laid her down on her bed and began to look at her cuts. Just then a couple more people entered the room. "Healer Malfoy, your parents floo'ed us about what happened," one said as he looked at the patient. "Yeah, they said something about bleeding everywhere and that she's unconscious. We thought you might need some more help," the other said.

"Healer Johnson, Healer Thompson." He recognized and then nodded. "Thanks."

The three got to work. Draco stripped Hermione down to her bra and knickers, forcing himself not to blush. _She's hurt badly. There is another time for that. _All three healers stared at her stomach. On it was another carving of the word 'Mudblood'. Draco felt his temper flare when he felt a hand on his arm. "Calm down, Malfoy. Heal her first, kill later," Healer Thompson said softly. Draco shook his head and then waved his wand around her body. They watched in confusion as her wounds had refused to close up.

"I have a theory and it's not a good one," Healer Johnson spoke up, "her attacker may have struck her with a curse that prevents her body from using magic to heal her wounds."

Draco looked at him with a worried expression. "But look at her! She has so many wounds! She could…" he swallowed hard, "_die_."

Healer Johnson shook his head. "We can do this. We'll apply the same things to her, just manually." He took out various potions, ointments, salves, and creams from his bang. Healer Thompson took out a sponge and gathered some water in a bowl but was stopped by Draco.

"I'll do it," he said quietly, "I don't think I can do anything right now. I can't think. I'll leave her to you two after this." He took the sponge and began to clean her body from all the dried up blood and cuts. Healer Johnson began to spread all the creams and ointments on her body. He wrapped the areas that were filled with many wounds with gauze. Once they were done with her front, they all braced themselves. "Okay, we will levitate and turn her body on three. Slowly, understood? We don't want to see any of the bandaged wounds to break open." The two nodded and pointed their wands at Hermione. At three they all whispered the spell. Her body levitated off the bed and began turned her slowly. Draco cringed at the sight. Criss-cross marks were all over her back. Some were done over those that were already opened. He felt his legs give out once she was laid down properly. Draco felt tears fall on his face as he looked at her. He gripped the sponge in his other hand tightly. He rubbed his tears away fiercely on his forearm and dabbed at the wounds, cleaning it like he did so earlier.

Three hours later, Draco and the other healers emerged out of the door and closed it quietly behind them. "Thanks for the help," Draco said exhaustedly. He hadn't realized how tired he was until now.

Healer Thompson gave him a sympathetic smile. "Get some rest, Malfoy. She's stable now. Floo us if you need anymore help or if anything happens." The two made their way down the stairs and floo'ed back to the hospital. Draco walked to his parents' room. He opened the door and all eyes snapped to him. Scorpius wiggled out of Narcissa's arms and into Draco's. He picked up his son and hugged him tightly.

"Is mummy okay?" he asked tiredly.

Draco gave his son a soft smile. "Yes, she is okay. Come, let me get you to bed. We can visit mummy when you're fully rested." Scorpius gave him a little smile and nodded. He rested his head on at the crook of Draco's neck as he carried Scorpius to his room.

Once he came back to his parent's room, Narcissa asked worriedly. "So how is she?"

Draco sat down on the french chair at the end of his parents' bed. "She's stable now. That git made it so that we couldn't heal her magically, so it's going to take her a while to recover. She was losing too much blood. Both Healers said that another hour or so and she wouldn't have made it. She…she was hurt so badly. Her back was the worst. I've never seen so many whip marks on a person. Small pieces of her flesh was torn off." He put his head in his hands, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Narcissa closed her eyes as tears began to fall. Lucius gripped his cane tightly as his heart clenched.

Minutes had passed when Narcissa decided to lighten up the mood. "So…mummy?" she let out a faint giggle when she saw Draco's face blush a little.

"Well, I keep telling Scor she's just a friend but…he's really attached to her." _So am I…_

Narcissa regarded her son for a minute. He looked up at her and watched as her eyes twinkled. _Really, son?_

Draco cleared his throat. "Well, I'm going to retire to my room. I will check on Hermione in the morning. Mum, Father."

All of them retired to their rooms, emotionally exhausted from the day's events.

For the next few days, Draco Narcissa, and Lucius took shifts in watching Hermione, waiting for her to wake up. Draco informed the bookstore owner who readily agreed and wished her a 'get well soon'. Draco would peak in her room every now and then when it wasn't his shift, marveling at the sight. He would see Scorpius visit her room often.

_"Mummy," Scorpius said quietly as he brushed his hand against hers. "I know you aren't my real mum, but you are to me. You are the best and only friend I have ever had. I hope you and Daddy will be together so we could stay with each other forever." He moved and pecked her cheek. "I love you, 'Mione. I'll visit later."_

Draco smiled and then thought about his mum.

_"Hermione dear," Narcissa said quietly, "You gave all of us quite a scare. I know we may have not seen eye-to-eye in the past, but everything is different now. Believe it or not, I see you as something more than just a patient. I see you as a fearless, strong, and independent woman that gives her unconditional love and devotion to others, especially to those who haven't been so kind to you in the past. Remember what I said before about treating you like a daughter? Well, those days have sealed it. I see you as one of my own. I know its a surprise, but you have allowed me to dote upon a female other than myself, especially when she has a very simple taste. Dear, just thinking about it makes me want to go out and buy you more dresses." She got up to and was about to leave when she turned back and looked at Hermione. "Once you're healed, you'll still shop with me and wear the dresses I pick out for you, yes? I should throw a ball for you as well. A 'you're fully healed' little party. You can wear the dress I will pick out for you and let Draco escort you. Maybe we can make it a surprise engagement between you two," she mumbled the last part as she exited out the door._

Draco let out a chuckle. _So…she knows. Am I that transparent? _Lastly, he thought about his father. What he had witnessed nearly made him pass out in surprise.

_"Hello Ms. Granger," Lucius said as he sat down on the chair next to her, his back towards the door. "It's strange, not hearing you scold me, telling me to call you 'Hermione' instead. What's even more strange is that I'm here with," he let out a sad sigh, "a change of heart. You have changed past couple of months have taught me that my upbringing was not at all correct. In fact, you have made me doubt my beliefs countless times. I will admit, Cissy pushed me to. Well more like forced." he let out a chuckle. "but when I saw those marks on your body that night…I guess you can say that it made me think otherwise." _

_"I'm glad she gave me the extra push. She was right. A house full of 'blood type' tension wouldn't have been pleasant. I have even found someone who can challenge me intellectually." He leaned in and inched his hand close to hers, lightly placing his on top of it. "I've even seen a change in young Scorpius. He's more playful and expresses his love for those he loves. I have to admit, I feared he was going to turn out just like Draco. I have you to thank for that. You showed him love and happiness that his mother never showed him. I can't….I can't thank you enough. Even though you can't hear me I hope you know that I myself, along with everyone else is waiting for you to wake up. It's amazing. You have somehow crawled your way into our skins and melted our 'cold' hearts. You are now the keeper of all Malfoy hearts. Be careful with them, Ms. Granger. They may look strong on the outside, but inside they are as fragile as a baby." He leaned back and carefully retracted his hand, grabbing the book hidden from his jacket pockets. He flipped to the part he left off and continued to read._

There was a sharp knock at the door to his room, bringing him out of his thoughts. He opened the door, revealing a rather unusually giddy Lucius. "Father," he said as he raised an eyebrow, "Is there something wrong?"

Lucius moved around Draco's room, inspecting the books on the desk. "I was wondering," he began, "if you would like to join me on a little 'father and son' trip."

Draco looked at him as if he had grown an extra head. "Um…what?"

"Well, I was thinking about somethings earlier and I was wondering if you would like to help me with it." Draco continued to give him a wary look, but nodded in reply. Lucius moved towards him and grasped his arm tightly. Draco continued to stare at him when he felt the tingling effects of side-along apparition. Seconds later, Draco opened his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed. They were in front of a rotting door, the smell of liquor and rotting wood leaking through its cracks. Draco swallowed hard and tried not to gag.

"Where are-" All of a sudden, Lucius broke through the door, shielding himself from any hexes thrown at him. Both of their eyes readjusted to the darkness that enveloped them.

"Incarcerous." Lucius growled out loudly at the silhouette in the corner. All of a sudden there was a muffled cry. Lucius and Draco moved closer, their wands pointing at the person.

Draco's eyes narrowed and jabbed his wand at the person's throat. "Weasel."

Ron glared at him menacingly. "What the bloody hell are you lot doing here?" He spat.

Lucius closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his rage. He walked up to Ron and gripped him tightly at his shirt. "You dared to desecrate my home with your brutish ways. You dared to touch what is mine. I swear to Merlin," he whispered harshly, "Touch my daughter-in-law again and I will not hesitate to kill you." He let go of the shirt and brushed his hand over his robes, a look of disgust washed over his features. "Filthy…" he whispered.

Draco stared in awe at his father. _Wait wait…daughter-in-law? What in the-_

Ron let out a maniacal laugh. "You've gone soft, Malfoy. Both you and your git of a son. Falling at the feet of a mudblood. _Pathetic._"

Draco felt his anger flare. Without a second thought he waved his wand at Ron's chest near his heart. "Sectumsempra!" he yelled out. Tiny but deep gashes marred Ron's skin, turning turning his shirt to a dark and wet color. Ron whimpered in pain and anger. "Don't you dare call her that!"

Draco turned around, not looking at his father. "I have no regrets," he said calmly. Lucius smirked and pointed his wand at Ron, whispering an unfamiliar spell. Ron's eyes widened.

"Oh don't worry, this is just the same spell you used on Ms. Granger. Let this be a lesson to you." Lucius walked out of the room, Draco following close behind her. Once they were out, Draco spoke up quietly.

"Daughter-in-law?" he asked, a smirk forming.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Draco." He said cooly.

Minutes later they were face-to-face with the entrance to Hermione's room. Lucius opened the door and walked in first. His eyes loomed over Hermione for a bit and then settled on the person who was keeping her company. "Cissy, any good news?" Narcissa shook her head. Lucius sighed. "Come Cissy. We'll leave Draco to his shift." He wrapped his arm around, guiding her out the door.

Draco sat down in the chair and immediately placed his hand on top of Hermione's. He stared at their hands. "Hermione," he started quietly, "Um…how do I begin? I er- Remember that day I bumped into you in Muggle London? I didn't mean to scare you, honestly. It was just surprising for me to see you there. I didn't know how to act so I just had to be my usual git self. Pretty pathetic, right? I'm sorry about that. I should've apologized right then and there. I'm-"

"Draco?" he heard a faint and raspy voice. His head shot up and his eyes widened. Hermione continued to look at him with confusion. Then she gave him a small smile. "Hello Draco," she winced as she tried to move her hand. "Why do I feel so sore?"

Draco snapped out of his gaze and gave her a large smile. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her a bit tightly. "Thank Merlin. You've been out for about 4 days. When I found you in that sealed off room…" he swallowed loudly, "I didn't know what to do. Just seeing you there, bleeding on the floor and unconscious, I felt so…numb. I couldn't function properly."

Hermione moved her head slowly, trying not to wince. She leaned in slightly and gave him a feather-light kiss on his neck. "At least you found me. I'm okay now. Don't beat yourself up for it." She felt him relax but continued to hold her. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours until they heard a tiny voice.

"'Mione?" They both turned to see Scorpius with disbelieving eyes.

Hermione smiled at him. "Hello sweet." He ran up to her bed with squealing with happiness. Draco lifted him off from the ground and placed him between Hermione and himself. Scorpius wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist, snuggling into her side.

"I was scared, 'Mioine. I was afraid you were gone forever," he muttered. Hermione moved her arm slowly and wrapped around his little body.

"I'll never leave you, sweet." Scorpius snuggled closer to her side. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Draco watched their interactions and tried not smile. He shifted his gaze up to Hermione's, their eyes locking. Feigning the awkwardness between the two, Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder, her head laying on his shoulder.

_This feels…strangely…right, _they both thought.

"Hermione, dear!" Narcissa said with glee. She stepped into the room followed by her husband. She ran up to Hermione, throwing her arms around her. "You scared us half to death!" She let go of her hold on her and placed her hands on her hips, "Never venture off without any of us or I will personally make sure you know the consequences."

Hermione blushed bashfully and looked away. Lucius sat down on her bed beside Narcissa, his arm around her. "She's right Ms. Granger. You need to be more careful. When you're _part of our family_, no one is to be harmed."

Both Hermione and Draco's mouths hung open. "_Our _family?" Draco questioned.

Both of his parents' eyes snapped to him. "Ah, Draco. I did not see you there. Yes, our family. What…did you think we went to 'that' house for fun? I may hate that family, but I wouldn't go there without a reason." Hermione looked between the two of them in confusion. Her eyes shifted to Narcissa who said nothing but had a smile on her face.

"Wait wait," Hermione said, "are you two…allowing me to stay here? I mean I know you accepted the terms in the beginning, but I just thought…I don't know…that you were tired of some Muggle-born staying at your home."

Narcissa smiled. "Of course not, dear! In fact, all of us agree that you have somehow grown on us. We," she gestured to the others, "along with young Scor, would love for you to stay here."

Hermione's smile grew as she looked at the three of them. Her eyes stayed on Draco, his smile making her grow warm all over her body. Narcissa looked at the two. "Oh, but we do have a condition."

Hermione's smile fell. "Okay, what is it?"

Narcissa looked at her husband who gave Hermione a smirk. "In return for staying here, you must" she paused dramatically,"date Draco and make yourselves exclusive."

Hermione stared at her incredulously, her mouth hung open. "W-What?" She felt her face flush.

Draco stared at his mum, his face tinted red in embarrassment. "_Mum!_" _Does everyone forget I'm here?_

"Oh hush, both of you. I've seen the way you two look at each other. I'm very observant, despite what you think." Narcissa raised an eyebrow when she saw the two exchange glances.

Scorpius stirred and mumbled, causing everyone to pause in mid-conversation. He blinked his eyes, wiping the sleep off of them. His sight landed on Hermione and smiled brightly. "'Mione"

"Hello, sweet. Did you have a good nap?"

He nodded and then looked around. "Hello daddy. Grandmother, Grandfather." He continued to lay beside Hermione, his face looking up at her. "What were you guys talking about?" he asked curiously.

"Scor, you like ''Mione' right?" Narcissa asked, preventing Hermione from explaining. She watched as he nodded again. "Well, 'Mione and you dad would like to get together. They want to ask you for your permission first."

Hermione looked at her with a shocked expression and shifted her look back at Draco. He gave her the same look, but their gaze lingered a little bit longer. He shrugged while giving her a small smile. _Why not, Granger?_ She smiled and then shifted her gaze back to Scorpius.

"May I, sweet?" she asked, slightly nervous.

He nodded excitedly and then thought of something. "Um…can I call you mummy then?"

Hermione blushed and then looked at the adults who all nodded profusely. She looked back at Scorpius and nodded. He squeezed her tightly. "I love you mummy."

"I love you too." She buried her face in his shoulder. Narcissa let out a quiet 'aww'. Draco curled his arm around her and laid his hand on Scorpius' back lovingly.

He whispered in her ear, _I hope you still have some room for me in that heart of yours._

Hermione looked up at him and giggled, pecking him on the lips quickly. _My heart was already yours,_ she whispered in return.

"Well Cissy," he squeezed his wife's side lovingly, "I believe we should let this family retire for the night. We have a celebration to hold in the morning." He kissed his wife's cheek and then whispered, "And maybe we can have a celebration of our own." Narcissa blushed and then swatted his arm.

Draco resisted the urge to gag. "We can hear you two. There's a child in the room!" he said as he covered his son's ears.

Lucius looked at him with a straight face with a hint of mischief. "Oh sorry son. I forgot you were still here. Honestly son you need to speak up. Goodnight Scorpius, _Hermione_." He watched as she looked at him with a surprised face and walked out.

Once he left, she turned back to Draco who had an irritated look on his face. She giggled, causing him to look at her. "You know he's just kidding," She said grabbed his hand. She was surprised at how much energy she had gotten after being up for only a few hours. He interlaced their fingers together and stared down at Scorpius.

Scorpius took her other hand and held it in his own. "Once you're better mummy, can we play together? We can let daddy take care of the dragons!"

She laughed when she saw Draco look at his son with a confused look. "Don't worry, Draco. _We_ will teach you. Together."

He smiled and gave her a peck on her cheek. _Together…definitely._


	2. Let Me Teach You

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I am so sorry for the delay. I had a bunch of family problems (which I won't bore you with...but I kinda did... sorry) and I moved. Anyhooo, on to the story! I will warn you once again that this will be slightly darker (might/might not be too dark for your tastes) than the previous story. Still some fluff, like I promised! I also want to thank everyone again for actually taking the time to read my stories, especially this one! (I never expected anyone to review. You guys are beyond awesome!) Ahhh! I haven't written in so long, so I hope this is worth reading! Anyways, Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It had been approximately five months since Hermione had picked up her job back at in the bookstore. It had also been five months since she was officially staying in Malfoy Manor. _Time goes by so fast,_ she thought as she looked back at the memories. She stiffened slightly when she remembered the incident with Ron. She subconsciously wrapped an arm around her stomach. _No more-_ Suddenly, a squeal of laughter erupted. Hermione snapped out of her trance and smiled as she watched little Scorpius run through the numerous sections of books. _That boy sure loves books._

* * *

_It was just another quiet day at the bookstore_. _Hermione was re-shelving the school books section when the chime on the door rang. She put down the books in her arms and dusted herself off. _I need to dust this place afterwards_, she told herself. She continued to dust herself off, not noticing the people in front of her. "Hello. How may I-oof!" She looked at the person in front of her as she fell to the ground. A big smile spread across her face. "My sweet!" _

_Big blue-grey eyes looked into her brown eyes with a bright smile. "Mummy!" He pecked her cheek, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. Hermione wrapped her arms tightly around his small body and placed a big kiss on his forehead._

_"Young Scor said he missed you, even though you two saw each other this morning. He requested to see you at work. I hope we aren't bothering you," Narcissa looked at the two fondly. She watched as Hermione and Scorpius glue themselves to each other. _

_"It's no fun without Mummy at home all day! Can I stay here with you, please? I will be a good boy and sit quietly! I will even put away the books I read!" His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, begging Hermione to let him stay. _

_She contemplated for a minute before nodding. "Sure. Just don't go anywhere where I cannot see you, okay my sweet?" Scorpius nodded profusely before jumping out of her arms and dashing to the children's section. Hermione turned towards Narcissa. "If It's okay with you Cissy, could he stay here? I will take him out to lunch and then bring him back home before my break ends."_

_Narcissa nodded happily. "Of course my dear!" She made her way to Scorpius and gave him a hug. She turned back to Hermione and gave her a farewell hug. She turned and made her way out the door. _Hmm, seems like Scorpius has most of her heart. I feel somewhat bad for Draco. Oh well, that stubborn boy…quite pathetic if you ask me. Losing to his own son,_ she apparated back home, giggling at her thoughts as she remembered the incident that occurred a couple days earlier..._

* * *

**_...Draco roared out in frustration and shot out of his seat in his study, the morning paper crumpled in his fist. He paced furiously up the stairs into his parent's room and barged in, not even bothering to knock on the door. He yelled at them to meet him downstairs in the sitting room and walked away, slamming the door behind him. Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other with a knowing look. _**

**_Lucius sighed. "Well, he certainly has not lost his temper."_**

**_Narcissa giggled slightly. "This will be interesting."_**

**_As Draco descended down the stairs, he heard faint giggles coming from the dining hall. Curious, he slowed his pace and made a detour to the sound of giggles. Once he reached the door, he heard a little shriek. He pushed open the door and was about to ask what was wrong when the sight before him halted his actions._**

**_Hermione giggled as she continued to draw some strange creatures on a piece of paper. As soon as she was finished, she put down the marker and held up the picture. She looked down, a mischievous smile on her lips. Scorpius looked up at her, his eyes filled with giddiness. "And then, the mean sea serpent attacked the royal palace!," she said as she held up her drawing, "He destroyed all of the exits, trapping all the merpeople inside. There was no where for them to be saved. All of a sudden, the sea serpent disappeared, but the merpeople knew better. They knew he was hiding. So they waited until-"_**

**_Hermione paused dramatically. The child looked up at her and shook her forearms lightly, his eyes beaming with curiosity and wonder. "What happened, mummy?"_**

**_"BOOM!" the child jumped in her arms, " An explosion occurred in the middle of the trapped merpeople. The sea serpent appeared before them, the scent of fear hung about in the water. The merpeople thought it was the end for them when-"_**

**_"Did you two even eat your breakfast?" Hermione and Scorpius jumped slightly and turned to the new voice. Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly when Draco smiled and grabbed a muffin, blushing slightly. She looked back down and winked. Before Draco knew it, she chucked the muffin at his head, a few crumbs stuck in between the hairs. Hermione and Scorpius erupted in a fit of giggles while Draco brushed off the crumbs. He glared at the two who continued to laugh at him. _**

**_"_****Hermione Jean Granger. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy****_," he watched in amusement as the two straightened their backs and swallowed loudly, "You two, in the sitting room, _****now****_." He turned and walked away, a wide smirk on his lips._**

**_Hermione and Scorpius looked at each other. "Daddy never says my full name unless he's really mad at me. I'm scared, mummy."_**

**_Hermione placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him on the forehead. "Daddy is not mad, my sweet. Your father used to do that when we were in Hogwarts. He did that to ensure fear into everyone. He may look like a mean and scary monster but he's more like a cuddly little stuffed dragon. Want me to prove it to you?" she watched as Scorpius nodded his head profusely. She bent forward and whispered into his ear. She pushed her chair back and made her way to the sitting room, her hand wrapped around Scorpius'. She walked in just as Draco began to scream bloody murder._**

**_"What the bloody hell is this? I thought we were going to keep this a secret for a while! Hermione just got better! Are you two this daft? She could still be in danger! Has that little tidbit ever crossed your minds?" _**

**_Lucius and Narcissa schooled their features and gave him an unamused look. "We have no idea what you're talking about." Draco continued to glare at them menacingly. Lucius shrugged and put his arms behind his back while Narcissa wrapped an arm around her husband. _**

**_She sneakily put a roll of film into his palm and whispered, "_****You know what to do****_." Lucius coughed as Narcissa spoke up, noting that Hermione and Scorpius entered the room, "Well now, since we are not needed…Have fun you two! Remember, leave the door open or else I will get Bimbi to watch over you two." She disappeared upstairs, practically dragging him along. Draco cursed out for the millionth time that day._**

**_Hermione looked down at Scorpius, glad that she placed a spell on him so that he wouldn't hear any profanities being said until Narcissa and Lucius left. She sighed and lifted the spell. She looked back up at Draco who sported the same amount of redness as her, she could only guess._**

**_"I swear! I have a child of my own and yet they are treating me as if I'm still 11! And what was that?! Why would mum even suggest anything at the moment! In broad daylight! With my son in the room! I swear to Merlin, those two are not my parents." He flailed his arms around in frustration. His voiced-out thoughts were interrupted when he heard faint giggling behind him. He turned around and glared at the two, "And just what is so funny? You know you two aren't off the hook."_**

**_Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. She glanced down at Scorpius and gave a little nod before making her way to Draco. "I'm sorry, Draco. You're just so adorable when you're teased. It makes it so much easier to mess with you as well. Lighten up a bit." _**

**_He felt a vein pulse near his temple. "Do not test me, Granger."_**

**_Hermione sighed and looked down, wrapping her arms around him warmly. "I'm sorry. I won't chuck food at you again, okay?" She nuzzled his chest with her nose, burying her face. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and knew all was forgiven. She checked the time and jumped out of his arms. "Ah! I'm going to be late!" She leaned down and gave Scorpius a big hug and kiss. She stood up and gave a quick kiss to Draco, kissing his shoulder instead of his lips as she walked to the chimney. She grabbed a handful of powder and just as she was about to say her destination, she looked at Scorpius and winked. "And that, my sweet, proves that daddy is wrapped around my finger. Bye my little stuffed Dragon!"_**

**_Draco's anger flared. "Wha- GRANGER! You little witch…" He shook his head as she disappeared into the green flames, smiling as he made his way up to his room to finish getting ready. He scooped up his laughing son and blew raspberries on his cheeks. "Mummy is becoming a bad influence on you."_**

* * *

Her thoughts were cut off when she felt a small tug on her hand. She looked down and noticed a book that was inches away from her face.

"Oh! Is it time already, my sweet?" She watched as a small head with platinum blond locks popped out from behind the book and nodded. She checked her watch and then nodded to Scorpius. She took the book from his hands and placed it on the shelf next to her. She knelt down and opened her arms wide, allowing Scorpius to crawl into her arms. He immediately jumped into her arms, nuzzling her neck affectionately. She squeezed him slightly and with her free hand, took the book off the shelf. She plopped down in the kids section and opened the book to the page they last left off.

About 20 minutes before her break ended, Scorpius decided to stop for the day and get something to eat to settle his stomach from the constant rumbling. As they were heading back to the bookstore, Hermione noticed that it was abnormally quiet in the little square. Pulling her guards up, she picked up Scorpius and quickened her pace. She relaxed slightly when the bookstore came into view. She was about halfway to the bookstore, when out of the dark alleys, four scarlet jets of light went aiming for her back. Just as she turned back, she was about to throw up a protection charm when all spells hit her on the chest. She was pushed back significant amount of feet away, Scorpius' body rebounded in the opposite direction. She immediately reversed the spell wandlessly, and tried to get up, only to fall back down. _Agh, my legs. They feel so heavy. What-_

Her thoughts were interrupted when a shadow fell over her form. She looked up and stiffened slightly. "_Hello, love._"

She felt her insides churn with guilt and fear. His eyes were dead and bloodshot, the rings around his eyes an abnormal shade of dark red. "Harry…" He ignored her and turned his gaze to the little boy across. He made his way to him slowly and then held him by the neck. "Ruined everything…He ruined everything," Harry chanted. Hermione's skin paled, goosebumps marring her skin.

Then, more shadows appeared from the alley, all making their way towards the little boy. Hermione had to squint, but when she say the tell-tale ginger colored head of hairs she immediately recognized who they were. They closed in on the boy, all muttering incoherently.

"S-Stop. What are you doing? Stop." They all ignored her. She tried again, this time louder. She looked at Scorpius, his eyes filled with fear, just like before.

"MUMMY!" he screamed. Harry threw Scorpius to the ground roughly, a wide grin on his lips as he enjoyed the sound of his head colliding with the cobblestone, blood begin to pool around his feet.

"STOP! STUPEFY!" Hermione screamed out, tears of anger and fear falling. She watched as her best friend turned to her, licking his lips as a dark chuckle erupted. He winked and apparated, the rest all fleeing back into the shadows. Not caring about anything else, she ran towards Scorpius. She bent down and immediately began healing the blood wound on his head. She shook his shoulder gently, trying to get him to focus. "Sweet? Darling, can you hear me?" she breathed in a sigh of relief when his eyes fluttered open. She gathered him in her arms, cradling him gently.

"Mummy, are you okay?" She held him to her tightly, silencing him to say no more. She ran into the bookstore and called for the manager, the manager already witnessing the incident. He told her the floo was already open and that he had called the Ministry to investigate. She nodded and without another word, floo'ed home.

* * *

Just as she stepped at she caught sight of Draco jumping from his seat and rushing towards her. "The manager called. Are you two okay?"

Hermione ignored him and ran up the stairs with Draco hot on her tail. She brought him into her old sleeping quarters and laid him down on the bed softly. "Hey! Hermione-"

"Shut up and help me, Malfoy!" she lashed out. Draco noticed that her eyes were red and tears were still falling. He looked down was forced to take a step back. He felt tears fall at the sight of his son. Without another word, he accio'ed his medical kit and began cleaning and healing his son. He worked at rapid pace, forgetting where he was at. He continued to work for an hour. His pace slowed when he saw signs of the potions working. He sighed in relief and sat on the chair. He had blinked a couple of times for his eyes to get readjusted to his surroundings when his eyes caught a Hermione curled up: her knees to her chest, eyes looking at nothing except for Scorpius.

Cautiously, he moved closer to her. He was about to gather her into his arms when she buried her face in his arms. "Don't touch me."

He looked at her sadly and sighed. "It's not-"

She glared up at him, "Don't you dare say that it's not my fault. You know it is. I know it is. You seem to be forgetting, _Malfoy_, It is _always_ my fault. So just leave me be." She untangled herself and exited out the door.

Once she was out, she closed the door and walked down the hall. She then went into the room closest to the guest bathroom. She locked the door and put a strong silencing spell on it. She looked at the large closet in front of the bed and ran towards it. She opened the door and locked herself in, allowing her tears to flow freely. _Why is it that whenever something starts to go well in my life, someone appears and just ruins it all. Please forgive me, my sweet. I hope you can forgive me. I wasn't strong enough to save you. I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry…, _she continued to cry as she re-wrapped her arms around her knees tightly, wishing nothing ever happened.

* * *

Draco continued to stare at his son's sleeping form, occasionally smoothing his hair to the side. His mind drifted to Hermione. He knew she was blaming herself and knew he couldn't change that, no matter what he tried to tell her. It was a part of her that actually never healed. He saw it when she thought he wasn't looking. It was the littlest gestures. Her smile would sometimes slip. Her body would twitch sometimes at night, curling herself into a ball for security purposes. Her hand would sometimes wrap around her arm, _the left arm._ He felt helpless, knowing that part of her will become permanently stained with fear and pain. All he could do is just hug her to him until she relaxes, but now it was something different. Traumatizing. _It's not your fault, Hermione. Please, let me in so I could help you. _

"Daddy…" he heard softly. His thoughts were dispelled and moved so his face was close to his son's. He breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes watering. He placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm glad you're okay, Scor. How are you feeling?" Draco brought a straw to his son's lips, telling him to drink.

Scorpius sipped slowly. "A little sore…" he said as he rubbed his head. He felt a small bump and his brows furrowed.

"The bump will go away. That's the swelling. It's gone down significantly. It should be gone by the end of the week," Draco explained as he placed Scorpius' stuffed dragon next to him.

Scorpius hugged the dragon and then looked around. "Is mummy okay?" He watched as his dad's face fell.

"I…I don't know, son." Suddenly, the door burst open and in came Lucius and Narcissa, worry etched on their faces.

"Are you okay, Scorpius?" Narcissa asked.

He nodded. "Where's mummy?" Lucius raised an eyebrow at Draco and gestured to the door.

Draco sighed. "I'll be right back son, okay? I need to talk to Grandmother and Grandfather for a bit. Get some rest." He watched as Scorpius closed his eyes and closed the door once everyone was out.

Narcissa folded her arms and whispered softly. "Son?"

Draco sighed. "Hermione and Scor got attacked. She refused to say anything else except to heal him. He had a small fracture, but it's healing. He will be fine. He needs a lot of rest though." The two let out a breath of relief.

"What about Hermione?" Lucius asked. Draco looked at the two and shook his head.

"She's been gone ever since I finished healing him. I don't think she is ready to face any of us. She blames herself for Scor's condition. My guess is that she thinks we hate her for it. Or worse, that Scorpius hates her. There's nothing that I can do to change her mind," Draco sighed.

"Do you? Do you blame her?" Lucius asked.

"You know I don't-"

Narcissa cut him off. "Then let's go find her! Your father and I can watch over young Scorpius. You need a break anyway. You look absolutely dreadful." She gave him a small grin before shoving him out the door. They closed the door on him before he could protest.

Draco sighed. _Mum's right. I need to find Hermione. I hope she didn't run off, _he began to panic.

He recalled hearing her footsteps retreat to the end of the hallway and decided to check the bathroom. He had just reached the door when he heard a strange yet familiar voice coming from outside.

* * *

Hermione stretched her legs and exited out of the closet hours later, not realizing she had fallen asleep. She noticed that her wards had dissolved and was about to open the door when she heard an all-too familiar voice coming from the outside.

"Step outside,filth, within the next 5 minutes or I will burn this place to the ground. Now, now, before you say anything else, I should tell you. I have warded this place so that you cannot apparate, floo, or fly out of here. The only way out is through the front door." A deep voice yelled out using the _Sonorus_ spell.

* * *

Not a minute later, Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa came out of the Manor, all bearing a mask of indifference. Draco's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "Potter."

Harry ignored him and counted out how many were out. "Hmm, there seems to be two missing. Now, where are, Ah! Mr. Malfoy has the little brat. But…where's the star of the show?"

Draco clenched his fists tightly before a blur moved beside him and stood before him. "Ah! _My beloved_ '_Mione!_ Wonderful! Everyone is present! Now it's time for the show, but first, we must set the rules." Hermione stood her ground, waiting. _Something isn't right. Well, of course there is, but…I can't place it-_

"Now, there aren't that many rules. Just one. Give me the brat, and I'll let you all free and unharmed," Harry bargained.

Hermione stepped up. "No."

"No? Hermione Granger denying Harry potter, her best friend and savior of the world?" Harry barked out laughing, nearly unable to contain himself. "Then, what? _You'll _take his place?"

Hermione kept quiet as Harry continued to laugh. As he sobered up, his face turned into a calm, yet terrifying look. "Ah, that was a good one. Hmm…I'll tell you what, 'Mione. I'll humor you. I _will_ take you instead of the boy."

Hermione ignored the gasps behind her. Before anyone could say anything, she said "And not hurt him. ANY of the them".

Harry's patience was wearing thin. "Deal."

Draco launched himself at her and grabbed her arm. "Are you mad?"

She sighed heavily as she looked up at him. He could see that she was battling with herself and losing at rapid speed. "He means more to me than anything in the world, besides your family…_our_ family…" she whispered the last part, causing Draco's mouth to drop open, "If giving my life to protect him is all it takes, then so be it." She brought her hand up to his face, ghosting over his features. _Maybe then he will forgive me..._

"Hermione, I hope you know that none of us blame you." she ignored him and closed her eyes.

"Don't sugar coat it for me, Draco." _All the pain is worth it._

Draco lifted his hand so it could rest on top of hers, but it was forced back. Harry chuckled darkly as he sent a spell at her. "Do hurry up. I have other plans that are just waiting to be done."

Hermione inhaled deeply as she saw a thin veil of black smoke wrap around her body before tightening itself around her. She let out a choked gasp as it tightened further, lifting her slightly off the ground. Her body levitated to Harry, her feet hitting the ground once again. Draco growled when he saw Harry start to wrap his arms around her. He caught a glimpse of something he knew that had to be a port key.

"Ah, I forgot to mention," Harry said casually as he rested his cheek on Hermione's shoulder, looking to the side, "once I am done with her, I will back. I shall be taking pleasure from watching you faces as I kill your little demon spawn," his voice lowered, laced with dark promises, "Let me show you what happens when something precious is taken away from you. Let me teach you what pain and torture really tastes like." He glanced at Hermione and shrugged. "You said not to hurt them. You didn't say I couldn't _kill them on the spot. _A bit of a big difference, darling. You are slipping, love. You used to be more specific."

Narcissa gasped as Lucius held onto Scorpius tighter. Draco made a step forward before he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. He growled slightly, his face turning feral as he watched Harry put the tiny port key into Hermione's mouth. "Now now, _'Mione_. Since you can't use your hands…" Before Hermione could do anything, Harry placed his lips on hers. Hermione bend her head back and was about to spit it out when he forced his tongue inside her mouth. Harry smirked, feeling high levels of anger emitting off Draco. Harry's tongue touched the port key and the two disappeared.

* * *

Hermione tried to steady herself as the effects of the port key were slowly catching up to her. Almost instantly, she heard loud chuckling beside her.

Harry continued to laugh, clutching his waist. "Merlin, did you see their faces? Priceless!" He glanced at Hermione and kept a smile on. He noticed that Hermione flinched slightly. "Good..good. You fear me. That's a good sign." He pulled on her arm as he made his way to his destination.

"Where are you taking me, Harry? Why…Why are you doing this? I'm sorry I couldn't help you enough, but this-"

"Shut up, you selfish little bitch!" Hermione clamped her mouth shut as they made their way to the designated area.

Minutes later, Harry suddenly stopped. "Ah, here we are. Home sweet home." Hermione looked at the rotting door. Before she could say anything, the door opened and she was pushed inside. She fell to the ground and instantly gagged. The strong odor permeated her senses and forced herself not to throw up. She tried to look around to see what the smell was coming from, but the windows were covered. No light entered nor exited from the room.

Harry stepped before her and inhaled deeply. "Smell that? That is the smell of a hard day's work." He began to circle her, thinking deeply about something. "Tell me, _'Mione_, do you know where you're at?" He watched as she shook her head. He gave a lopsided grin and tore the boards down. Instantly, Hermione knew where she was at.

"Like I said, home sweet home. Love the new house smell? It should be really familiar. It goes by the name of Ronald Weasley. Oh don't worry. His corpse is not here. His blood though, hate to to say it, but the stain won't come out of the carpet. I hope you won't mind." Harry smiled at the way Hermione was cringing.

Hermione tried to dispel her surroundings and focused on Harry. "Why are you doing this to me, Harry? Just answer me that and I will do whatever you want."

"Hmm, where should I start?" Just as Harry was about to say something, a little _ding!_ went off in the kitchen. Hermione's eyes shifted from the kitchen to Harry, his grin turned menacing. "You're in for a treat, _'Mione_."

* * *

_Seconds passed by without a word. Lucius treaded carefully as he made his way toward Draco, Scorpius now in Narcissa's arms. _

_"Draco," Lucius started slowly. Draco spun around quickly and threw a spell at his father. Lucius easily deflected the spell and shot a little spell in return, knocking Draco back a few yards. "Get a grip, Draco!"_

_Draco laid there with a blank look. "Gone…" _

_Lucius felt his anger snap and grasped his son's shoulder roughly. "Pull your fucking self together, Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Reverting back to his old self, he raised his hand and slapped him roughly. "You aren't the only one that is feeling this way!"_

_Draco seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at his father, cradling his cheek carefully. He was shocked to see scattered bits of pain in his eyes. Draco's mouth hung open. _

_Narcissa wobbled up to the two, careful not to wake Scorpius. With her free hand, she slapped her husband's head and then her son's. "Stop it you two. You won't be able to solve anything if you keep fighting. Now, how about we all go inside and put Scorpius down. I swear, if he wakes up and sees you two setting a bad example, I will personally chop up your bodies and throw them into the Black Lake. Then for a good measure, I'll watch the Giant Squid devour you two slowly, understood?" Lucius and Draco immediately shot away from each other and dusted themselves off. Without another word, all three walked back into the Manor._

_Once they entered, Lucius turned to the two and said, "Someone is already shadowing her. It's only a matter of time, now."He disappeared upstairs. Draco looked at his mum, taking Scorpius off her hands._

_He raised an eyebrow at her. Narcissa shrugged. "I honestly didn't know, son. If I'm not mistaken, he is quite taken by her." Draco gave her a disbelieving look. "Oh come now, your father isn't all that bad. He just has a really really short temper. You take after him quite a bit. He just doesn't want to lose any family members. To him, family always comes first, despite what you think."_

Draco rubbed his eyes angrily at his thoughts as he watched his son sleeping peacefully. It had been a few hours since Hermione was taken, yet the image of Harry's lips on Hermione's was burned in his mind. He couldn't do anything to help her before with Scorpius and he couldn't help persuade her to find another route. He felt defeated. He wasn't surprised, though. Her Gryffindor loyalty was always one of the things he hated and loved about her.

"Son," Draco looked up to see Lucius standing beside him.

"Father" he nodded and continued to stare blankly into the void. He took the silence between them as a sign of apology and understanding. "It's just like before. No, it's much worse."

Lucius stayed quiet. "How's mum?" Draco asked, trying to get his mind off earlier.

"Your mother is quite distraught at the moment. One minute she's crying, the next minute she's chucking one of the thousands of heirlooms at me, telling me what an ungrateful bastard of a husband I am because of my lack of intervening and all of that. " Draco's lips twitched and then disappeared, a look of sadness had been placed instead. _I am the ungrateful one. I didn't save her..._

Lucius put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't give up on her."

"Never." He answered.

"Good. Now, help me calm your mother down. I would like to sleep tonight and still have my family jewels in the morning."

* * *

Hermione gave Harry a confused look before she started to hear see little bubbles form on his face. "No. No…it can't be." She heard sizzling noises, signaling the near end of the transformation.

"Oh, yes. It is." The new person mocked. The person was taller, thinner. Their skin was paler than Hermione's, hair reaching mid-back. Their eyes changed from green to dark brown. They stepped into the light, an aristocratic smirk pastured on their face.

"Astoria Greengrass."

Astoria bent her head back and let out a maniacal laugh. "Very good, Mudblood. You now your superiors' names!" she clapped her hands together. She lifted the spell off Hermione.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, wincing as she saw her wrists were very tingly and nearly blue. She began shaking her hands, trying to get the blood flowing again. She looked at Astoria, who continued to walk around her. She was brimming with questions, but one stood out. "Why are you targeting Scorpius?" she asked.

Astoria's face scrunched up into a look of disgust. "That little brat deserves to be killed."

Hermione gasped inaudibly. "Why?! He's your_ son_!" She felt a sharp and painful sensation all over her body and knew what was happening. _Crucio…_She started to scream at the top of her lungs. Astoria put a silencing spell on her and continued to talk.

"He is no son of mine. He's nothing but pure filth to me. That annoying little demon took everything from me," Astoria lifted the spell and sat on the sofa chair. She crossed her legs one over the other and leaned back, her arms resting in her lap. She looked at the window. "He's not the only one I am targeting. The whole lot of them. They begged me to marry their own son, did you know? Everyone in my family are paupers, yet they were the ones to ask me. Ah, how the mighty have fallen. No other pureblood family would even spare them a glance. Though, it did work in my favor for a while. Their name might have been tarnished, but their assets certainly weren't lacking. They were able to meet my conditions very well." The glint in her eyes hardened as she reminisced. "But they forgot to mention a loophole that was somehow undetected by the lawyer. The Malfoys really are sneaky Slytherins."

"What…did…they…do?" Hermione tried to mouth at Astoria, gasping out each word. She had forgotten than she was still under the curse.

Astoria blinked a couple of times and looked away from the window, trying to remember where she was at. She looked at Hermione, remembering that she wasn't alone. "I had to give them an heir. Like I said earlier, they were really sneaky. They even threatened to cut off all access to the joint account. So what choice did I have? I hated those nine months, but it did come with some perks. Apparently young men nowadays have this fetish for pregnant women."

Hermione gagged. _What in the bloody hell is wrong with this woman?_

Astoria giggled darkly. "Of course, darling Draco didn't suspect anything. Or, so I was told. It was so easy to manipulate that poor bloke. Doing anything to save face. When his little spawn was born, oh, he was wrapped around my finger. He would do everything for me, catering to my every whim. Little did I know that there was a second loophole to that little twerp." She got up and began to circle Hermione, her wand out and unnoticed to Hermione. Astoria lifted the silencing spell and without a second thought, doubled the amount of power the Cruciatus curse was inflicting on Hermione.

"Everything goes to that little ingrain!" She yelled out. She walked over to the coffee table and pulled out what looked like a curved dagger, her eyes held a look of dark amusement. It looked like an antique with it's dark engravings and familiar serpent designs on the crossguards. Astoria lifted the curse and made it so that she was face-to-face with Hermione.

"The attention," she dragged the tip of the dagger from the top of Hermione's left temple down to her jaw, drops of blood already dripping down onto her shirt. Hermione continued to stay silent, though her body was trembling uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of feeling in any part of her body.

"The money," Astoria changed directions and began dragging the tip from the top of her chest to the beginning of her shirt. She pressed the tip harder and without a second thought, ripped the shirt open, satisfied with a long gash and little pools of blood beginning to form.

"But most of all, the power." She pushed the dagger through Hermione's stomach. Hermione gasped, blooding leaking out of her mouth. Astoria pushed her off and wiped her hands on her skirt, disgusted that she had to touch another kind of filth.

Hermione gasped in pain as some of the feeling in her body was coming back, only to be redirected to another area. She touched the dagger and pulled it out, grunting and panting harshly in the process.

The light from the window caught the handle of the dagger, causing Hermione to squint. Her eyes widened and dropped the dagger, causing a small _clink!_ to echo through the room. She saw Astoria smirk, "I do love the color of mudblood red on you. Brings out the dirtiness in your eyes. Oh, look familiar? It should be, considering it is the Malfoys' property. Nifty little thing, isn't it? The best part about this dagger is that it is laced with a wonderful poison that doubles pretty much like a curse. It's called '_Nox Atra Melle'_. I believe you can figure that out on your own, being 'The Brightest Witch of Our Age.'"

Astoria sighed."I'm bored with you," she snapped her fingers, the rest of the boards on the walls disappearing one by one. As more light continued to pour into the room, dark figures began to appear, grinning at their prize. Hermione looked up at them, her heart pounding even louder. She recognized some of them: MacNair, Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr., Rowle, and Greengrass Sr. Hermione made out the others to be supporters of Voldemort. They all looked at Astoria.

"You can have her. Do whatever you want, but I do have a little surprise for her. Call it a parting gift." She walked to the coat closet and opened the door. Hermione's eyes widened, her blood running cold. Her eyes were met with tear filled grey-blue eyes.

"N-No…" she croaked out. One of the Death Eaters kicked her in the side, silencing her.

Astoria moved towards the person and took off the gag. "Say hello to your Hermione, _Scorpius_." She laughed as she walked out of the room. "I'll extend your regards to the family!"

"MUMMY!" he screamed, watching a large crowd form a circle around Hermione. The rest of the Death Eaters left a small opening, giving a view for Scorpius to watch. "LET HER GO!"

One of the Death Eaters, MacNair, walked up to Scorpius and raised his hand high.

"Stop…NO!" MacNair ignored her and slapped him across the cheek roughly, effectively shutting him up. Scorpius began to cry silently, his teary eyes wide and only on Hermione. He watched as the men began to strip her bare, her blood clinging to every part of her body.

"Just how I like them," Crabbe Sr. growled lowly as he smelled her hair, "Dirty and begging for a good and rough fuck."

Hermione felt every thought and nerve in her snap, her body switching to savage mode. _no…no…NO._ She closed her eyes, feeling every death eater's presence. _Lacero_, she whispered. Her anger was dispelled once she heard screams and wails of mercy. She opened her eyes and saw each one pressing down on various parts of their body unsuccessfully. In a matter of seconds, she began to see parts of their skin either beginning to unravel from their bodies or flaking off in large quantities. She smiled at her work and made her way to Scorpius.

"Sweet," her version swam and before she knew it, she collapsed onto the ground. Her panting grew soft and slow. She bent her head and tried to focus on the closet. She held out her hand, trying to reach him.

A dark figure placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to turn her attention to it. Hermione was too tired to feel anymore fear. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," the person said. The person watched as Hermione began to close her eyes and patted her cheek softly. "Stay with me, Granger," they begged her as her eyes lifted open and looked at the person with glazed eyes.

Hermione mumbled out a few words, her body convulsing into spasms. "Mum…Dad…Draco…Scor…Scor…Sweet…" Her eyes drifted to a close. The person checked her pulse and cursed loudly.

Just then, another figure appeared beside Hermione and checked her pulse. The two nodded at each other. One gently gathered Hermione into their arms and apparated away. The other sighed sadly and apparated away.

* * *

It had been almost two days when suddenly Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius jumped at the sound of someone apparating to their front door. Without a second thought, he dashed his way downstairs and flung the door open. "HERMIONE-" Draco stopped and looked at the person blankly.

"Hello, Draco."

"Blaise," he nodded and stepped aside. Blaise stepped in and headed towards the sitting room. Just then Narcissa and Lucius came down, following Draco to the sitting room. He faced the opposite direction, staring at the various paintings. He sighed and then turned around.

Blaise cleared his throat."I am pretty sure you are well aware now that I have been shadowing Ms. Granger for the past few months, so we can avoid any misunderstanding and get to my main point." Draco, who knew nothing about it, turned to his father and raised an eyebrow. Lucius shrugged, but his eyes spelled out something else. Blaise continued, "I came here today to discuss some rather disturbing facts we found regarding Ms. Granger's incidents and the relationship involving The Weasleys. First, when Ms. Granger stayed here at the Manor, what did she you find out about Ron Weasley?"

All eyes turned to Draco. He looked at Blaise and answered in a working manner, "I only assessed that he had been abusing her for a while."

"Could you give me an estimate the time frame for the scars?" Blaise asked, jotting down notes.

"It ranges from about 2-3 years ago to about 5 months ago. Possibly longer."

"And how did you find Ms. Granger?"

"She ran into me. It looked like she was running from someone. I had no idea about the abuse until I saw choke marks on her neck that she was hiding behind her scarf."

"And after she moved in, you became her physician and she was able to slowly recover until the next incident, correct?" Draco nodded. "You along with two other healers helped her when she was attacked 5 months ago, right?" Draco nodded again.

"The reason why I am asking is that I want to know what your intensions are towards Ms. Granger," he started. He saw Draco's face scrunch up in anger and held up a hand. "I am asking you because the Ministry cannot risk having the last and only heroine of the 'Golden Trio' to be wiped out."

Everyone gave him a confused look. "The Weasleys were killed in a night raid a couple months after war, including Harry Potter. Their son, Ron Weasley was the only one that survived because he was living with Ms. Granger. He did not suspect that his family were actually impostors. Yes, that's right. The 'Weasleys' that had Hermione for the past 24 hours or more were actually wanted Death Eaters that have been on the run since The Dark Lord's fall. Polyjuice, no less and spells that can alter their voice to sound like the real person. The bodies of the real Weasleys were actually in underneath the floorboards. The stench of the rotting corpses were masked and the real scents of each person was duplicated for good measure." Everyone's mouth hung open.

"As morbid as this sounds, I have to give them credit. They were able to trick Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger for almost 5 years," he paused, "It wasn't just the Weasleys they targeted. After more investigation, it turned out that everyone that was close to Hermione was under their radar. Neville Longbottom was killed after months of torture from the use of the Cruciatus Curse. It was said that his parents were finally fully healed and that they were captured again. They were forced to watch their son be tortured, making them relapse. They were all killed the same day. Luna Lovegood and her father were killed in a 'potion mishap.' That part wasn't true. Both bodies were found in the Dark Forest. Some of the creatures there said that they were looking for ingredients when they were ambushed by the same group of Death Eaters. Then, when it came to your family, they knew who to target first." Blaise's eyes drifted to the set of stairs outside the room.

"Scor," they all said. Blaise nodded, his gaze shifting back the family.

"The Death Eaters knew and observed how close she was with your son. They had timed it perfectly…" he drifted off, knowing that they knew the rest of the story. The three continued to sit in silence.

Minutes past until Draco decided to break the silence. "Who was behind all of this?"

"Crabbe Sr, Goyle Sr, MacNair, and Greengrass were behind the raids…"

Draco chuckled humorlessly. "No, _Zabini_. I meant who the fuck set all this shit up!" He shot out of his seat and grabbed Blaise by the collar.

Blaise gave him an unfazed look. "It was your darling _ex-wife_. Astoria Greengrass." He began explaining the story he had caught when he was hiding behind a strong disillusionment charm in the room. When he was finished, he caught Lucius and Narcissa's expressions. He nearly broke out into a grin seeing their wide eyes and disgusted looks. _Well, what do you know… _"The up side of that is that she has indeed been captured and will be given Veritaserum continuously for the next week or so. New law from the Ministry. Apparently, they won't go easy on anyone that was associated with The Dark Lord."

Lucius shivered internally. _I may be an ex-death eater, but I am pretty sure that I have never gone to extensive measures toward just one person. Merlin, what in the bloody hell is wrong with these people. _He glanced at his wife and son and sighed. _I'm glad I was able to get out early and spare my family, thanks to Her- Ms. Granger._ He felt his shoulders sag a little. _Family always comes first. Nothing else._

Narcissa held onto her husband's hand tightly while she discretely hid her tears behind one of her handkerchiefs. She looked at the handkerchief and broke down. It was her favorite one: a velvety and soft light mint colored cloth with a Narcissus flower embroidered at the corners representing her. It was a gift from Hermione a couple months after the agreement to her permanent stay at the house.

_"It's my 'thank you' gift for letting me stay here Cissy," she gave her a sheepish smile, "It's also a 'thank you' gift for giving me a chance…and letting me be a part of a family. Your family…Our family."_

"Hermione," Narcissa sniffled and whispered quietly to herself, "oh, my dear…"

Draco stared at him with wide eyes. He looked away and cursed, throwing himself down onto the sofa. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping at the roots. "Fuck….fuck…everything…It's all my fault. If I hadn't looked for that stupid job for her, everyone would've been fine…" Draco continued to rant on, mumbling and throwing his hands up every now and then.

Blaise looked at him and tried to lift the mood in the room. He knew Draco well enough and knew that he becomes very destructive and reckless when he spirals downward. He grabbed Draco's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Calm down, mate. I have more news aside from that.." Draco looked at him with a broken look, saying _are you trying to fucking kill me? I'm dying as it is already._ Blaise rolled his eyes. _Granger is living in a place full of divas…_

"Everyone! Calm the fuck down!" Three pairs of eyes glared at him but nodded.

"We have her." Narcissa let out a loud cry of relief and Lucius visibly relaxed, rubbing his wife's back soothingly. Draco continued to look at him blankly, but Blaise knew better._There is something else. Say it._

"She currently on her way to America where she will be looked over and treated. Now, before you jump off the deep end, let me explain. I couldn't link your family to the information directly because there is a chance she could still be targeted. Her progress will be passed throughout myself and then handed off to you." He turned to Draco, "Remember earlier, I had asked you questions before and asking if you really did take care of her and the situation between her and Ron Weasley? I had to make sure that, well, you were truly honest about helping her and that you really care about her wellbeing. Though you are my best mate, it's a standard procedure."

He then turned to Narcissa and Lucius. "It is actually kind of hard for me to believe that you two allowed her to stay," his eyes focused mainly on Lucius, "but nonetheless, I am grateful. That leads me to my second reason: All of you are not her immediate family-"

Draco cut him off. "Not to be rude, Blaise, but we can discuss that stuff later. Trust us or not, I don't care. Just tell me what happened to her."

Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes in a soft circular motion. "She's wounded, but not like the whippings she received before. She's been carved with a dagger by Astoria, though there are no malicious things written on her. Deep cuts, but those aren't bad as…"

Draco felt himself start to tremble. "As…w-what Blaise?"

"As what she used. Astoria played with Hermione using _your_ family's dagger. The one with the emerald gem on the handle with the letter 'M' on it. Astoria stabbed her with it."

Lucius shot out of his seat. "How did she get that? I never gave it to Draco. It's been sealed within the drawing room, untouched with the rest of the dark artifacts there."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't know, Mr. Malfoy. My guess is she sneaked in before you had set the wards or paid one of her family's elves to get it or something," he glanced at Lucius, blood draining from his face at rapid speed. "So you know what it is laced with, I'm guessing? Her reaction to the dagger was not quite normal. She was bleeding, but not in the right color. It was really dark and thick, almost like paint." He watched as Lucius nodded.

Draco placed his hand roughly on his father's shoulder and pulled it so that his father was facing him. "_Laced with what, exactly?_" His anger visibly rising. Lucius cleared his throat, obviously trying to explain it the best he could.

"The dagger was laced with what is known as 'Nox Atra Melle.' It's a dark and ancient type of magic, darker than the one she was hit with that was reported months back. It was created by Voldemort himself that was entrusted to only the most vicious killers; it doubled as both a poison and a curse. Well, them and those that were within the inner circle. The spell causes the blood flowing in her body to turn black. Once the blood turns black, it becomes thick like honey, preventing the flow to slow down and eventually stop; however, that part accumulates over time. The blood becomes poisonous as well. If the fumes of her blood is inhaled for a split second, it can enter the person's lungs and essentially into the bloodstream. The condition can last from a couple of minutes to a couple of months." Lucius looked away and tried to get his breath regulating properly after explaining. He continued to look away, feeling somewhat ashamed that he had something like it in his home.

Draco let go of him, staring at him with disbelief. He took a couple steps back. "W-Why…would you even have that?" His hands clenched into fists. "No. Of course you would have smoothing like that. If anything, you are nothing but consistent, _father_. This has been the second, possibly third, time that you have done something that put Hermione in some sort of state. I should blame _you _for all of this," Draco spat out at his father. He knew that he was wrong, but he didn't care. Years of pent up anger towards his father's mistreatment towards him and the path that was often changed during his adolescence often led Draco to keeping to himself and bottling up pain. To him, it was his one chance to make his father feel as helpless and ashamed as he did.

"Draco, stop." He looked up to see Narcissa place her arm around him gently, rubbing it up and down in a soothing pace. "Don't take your frustration out on your father. You know he's already paying for his mistakes."

Draco sighed, but refused to look at Lucius. Instead he turned his attention back to Blaise. Blaise took this as his cue and picked up where he last left off. "That curse wasn't the only thing she was hit with." Draco's back stiffened, "When the cost was clear, I had assessed the damage inflicted on her. From the looks of it, she had been hit pretty bad with the Cruciatus curse. Very powerful. By the time I was able to intervene, she was already convulsing into spasms severely. As I mentioned earlier, we have transferred her to America…"

He looked up at Draco, his eyes shining with something. Draco sighed irritably, failing miserably at the thought of killing his best mate. Draco knew where he was getting at. He acidly gritted out, "You apparated her. Even when she was hurt. You know what happens-"

"I am well aware, Draco. We had no other choice. If we floo'ed her, it would've been too late." Draco's knees gave out and crumpled to the floor, unable to take in everything all at once. _It's just like before. The one time I actually do something to help someone I have mistreated all these years…taken from me. Merlin, Morgana, every single thing and human above, please…get Hermione safely back to me. _He felt his heart slow, his eyes filled at the brim with tears.

Narcissa took over for her son. Obviously he couldn't and didn't want to say anything else. "What about the rest of the Death Eaters?"

Blaise forced out a lopsided grin. "If we know Ms. Granger well enough, we should be able to guess the outcome." Narcissa's eyes glinted with a tiny hint of amusement, prodding Blaise to go on. "This girl is like an iron maiden. In the worst state and yet she was able to perform something so powerful. She created a wandless, realistic illusion. By the time I intervened, it was right when she hit all of them with the spell. They looked all fine on the outside, but they were screaming for mercy. They were all gripping various parts of their body. I say, I never want to be on her bad side. Pretty vicious to people she really hates."

Draco felt unfazed at Blaise's words. That was old news for him. He had already witnessed it in school and the war. He chuckled sadly. _That's our little lioness for you. _He swallowed hard.

"…We have arrested them either way and are now making their way back to their lovely home in Azkaban." Blaise tried to lift the mood, but failed and sighed.

Something in Draco ticked in his mind. "H-Hold on a minute. Why couldn't you have just sent her to St. Mungo's over here? You said it yourself, I am her physician! She is under my care!"

Blaise shook his head. "St. Mungo's here isn't as advanced in the use of both potions and technology than the one in America. Extreme cases, like Ms. Granger's, are always deported there. Ah, which reminds me, I haven't been able to pick up any information on her parents. I need full consent from any of her family members to go on with any possible surgeries or any transplants. Do you know where her family is?"

Draco tried to lunge at Blaise again, but Lucius intervened. Every single little detail about Hermione at the moment made him lose control.

Lucius seemed to be fed up with his son's anger and once again, slapped him across his cheek. "Draco, listen."

Draco looked up at him, his eyes broken mirroring his father's. "Stop being a selfish little brat, Draco. You're not the only one who doesn't want to go through this; Your mother and I are feeling lost as well. We want her alive and well just as much as you do. Don't you want her to be with us? Healthy and able to play with Scorpius? How do you think he feels? She is part of _our _family, remember?" He turned to Blaise and nodded, "As far as her parents are concerned, _we_ are her parents. All of her information is under our name."

Blaise made a mental note. "I'll floo you if anything happens. I sincerely apologize," Blaise turned and apparated away.

Just before he left, Draco felt the remains of his anger seep out, "She's not dead, _Zabini_. Don't make it sound as if she is." Blaise ignored him and stepped into the green flames.

Draco rubbed his eyes as a few tears fell out. Today had been an awful day that was just nothing but an emotional roller coaster. He turned and was about to walk away when he remembered something. He turned to his father, who caught his eye at the same time. Draco raised a questioning eyebrow. _I thought I told you that her situation was confidential. And why in the bloody hell did you not tell us anything?_

Lucius rolled his eyes, reading his questioning eyes like an open book. "Come now, you obviously didn't think that I didn't know? I asked Zabini for her file and put two and two together. I remember you telling me not to ask _you_ or _her_ for any information, so I went with the next option. It was finalized a couple days ago, so all we have to do is to wait for the documents and signatures to be returned to us. Seriously son, give me at least some credit."

* * *

Months went by and before everyone knew it, it was over a year. There was still no word on how Hermione's condition was holding up, or even worse, if she was still alive. Everyone at the Manor tried to avoid any bad thoughts involving her.

Lucius took the idea of a no call as a good sign, though he often had to literally drag his legs away from the telephone when it was time for him to go to work. _Another day. Another 8 hours of nothing but anxiety spent with a bunch of dim-witted twits._

Narcissa took to staying outside in the gardens with a basket full of romantic and heartwarming books in hand. It was her way of thinking of alternate worlds where Hermione was alright and that she and Draco were being dense idiots about their feelings for each other.

_Much like now, really, _she thought as she flipped to the next page of one of her novels. She felt that the stories kept Hermione close to her heart. There were moments, however, when things weren't going so great and her heart would start to twist in pain. Then, and only then, would she go out on a shopping spree for the family. It boosted her energy, temporarily numbing the pain even just for the moment. Once she had gotten home and delivered the new toys and clothing, she would automatically go back into the garden and resume where she had left off.

Draco looked like a walking corpse. He _was_ a walking corpse. He felt as if something was missing. He knew what it was, but he didn't want to acknowledge it just yet. There were repercussions if he even remotely thought of something along the lines of it.

_I'm already dying here_, his heart clenched at those words. _No, no._

He continued to drag himself every day to go to work, leaving in the early morning and coming back late at night, sometimes not coming in for the night. One night, Narcissa had had enough of his behavior and cornered him, making him feel guilty about how he was behaving towards his son. With a wide smirk and fake tear-filled eyes, Draco made arrangements so that he could work from home. From there, he was able to watch Scorpius every now and then, coaxing him to play with the new toys Narcissa had bought for him. Every time he tried, he failed. Draco gave up with a sigh, knowing that nothing will take his mind off Hermione. _Like father, like son. More like, 'Like grandfather, like father, like son,' _he chuckled at the thought. _'Look at what to you have done to these poor men, Hermione.'_

Draco's heart clenched at the thought of Hermione yet again. Ever since he had learned of the curse from his father, he had been spending extra time in his makeshift lab that was next to Scorpius' 'sacred haven.' He did extensive research regarding Hermione's condition: Wondering who else had suffered from that same fate, jotting down all the symptoms that were mentioned, and the properties of the ancient spell. He then began pouring countless weeks into different types of potions that always ended up in a failure.

_He threw the potion onto the ground, the vial shattering and dissolving into the rug. "Fuck!" He put his arms on his desk and buried his head in, his fingers resting in between his hair. "Why isn't it working?" He turned his head and glanced at the notes. Each potion he mixed would result in either killing the patient completely or shortening their life span by 50%-_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard high-pitched screaming coming from the next door. Draco bolted out of his room and into the next door. He watched as his son continued to scream, thrashing about on the bed. He leaned over and turned on the light, his opposite hand shaking Scorpius awake.

* * *

Scorpius was found constantly in Hermione's old room. The family deemed it his 'safe haven'; It was the only place where he felt peaceful and somewhat okay. Every time one of them went in to check on him, his eyes were always closed and puffy; his arms were wrapped around a piece of her clothing while laying in her bed. Even when his sixth birthday arrived, he refused to celebrate, saying that his 'birthday present' still hasn't arrived. Everyone gave him a saddened look, knowing _who_ he really wanted most.

Scorpius' eyes opened immediately, his vision still slightly blurry from his tears. He pulled the covers off him and jumped into his father's arms, his hands wrapped around Draco's neck tightly.

"Whats wrong Scor?" Draco asks.

"I had a really bad dream, daddy. All of us were in this house, tied up. Grandmother was crying and Grandfather was yelling. You were screaming at Mummy…and Mummy…Mummy," he sobbed harder.

Draco rubbed his back in soothing circles, "It's okay Scor, tell daddy what happened."

Scorpius calmed down a bit and wiped away his tears, fresh new ones threatening to fall over. "Mummy was on the ground, not moving. I ran to her, shaking her to move, but she wasn't moving." He wrapped his arms tighter around his father. "I want mummy back home."

"I do too, son." He hugged his son tightly. _I know it hurts, son. Please…stay strong. _He placed a kiss on his forehead.

They sat there in silence for a couple minutes until Scorpius spoke up. "Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to get stronger."

Draco furrowed his brows and pushed Scorpius to look at him in the eyes. "What?"

"I want…to get stronger. I don't like crying. It makes me look and feel weak. I feel bad for not being able to help mummy. I want to be strong…so I can protect mummy."

Draco continued to stare at him speechless. His son never ceased to amaze him. "U-Um, son. I know you want to get stronger, but you are still too young. I can only start teaching you when you are a couple years from going to school."

He watched as his son's face fell and quickly added, "I can't teach you a lot of things at the moment, but what you can do is start reading some of the history about the school you are going to. Wait here, I will be right back." He left to his room down the hall and plucked a book from his shelf.

He returned moments later and handed the book to Scorpius. "This here is mummy's favorite book in the world. I used to tease her a lot in school about this book. She would recite it word for word. This here is the newest edition. It also happens to be mummy's book." He smiled as Scorpius' eyes widened and hugged the book to himself, a small smile forming.

"I want you to read up on it until mummy comes home. I'm sure she would want you to do some reading way ahead of time. Mummy always did that when she was at school." He looked at the book fondly as images of Hermione resurfaced in his mind. He swallowed thickly and gave Scorpius a smile, remembering something about the book.

"If I remember correctly, it mentions mummy in the book. Now don't ask me what page, I want you to read this and find it yourself. I know you love reading and I am sure you will enjoy it. You will find a lot of interesting facts that I'm sure mummy will tell stories about when she comes back, okay?" He watched as Scorpius' eyes brightened and nodded profusely.

Draco sighed in relief as he saw no traces left of Scorpius' nightmare in his eyes. 'Get some sleep, Scor. You have a busy day ahead of you.'

He chuckled as he watched Scorpius place the book on his nightstand and snuggled back into the sheets, his stuffed dragon crushed in his arms. "Night, daddy. Thank you for the book. I love you." _I will remember every word for mummy, just like she did._

Draco gave him a smile and tucked him in. He kissed his forehead once more and turned off the light. "Anytime, son. I love you, too. Goodnight."

Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes as he leaned against the door to Hermione's old room. _My own son wants to become stronger for Hermione, _he chuckled to himself. _My own son beating me, becoming more of a man than I am. _

His smile immediately disappeared and stood up straight. _That's right…_I _need to become stronger. _I_ need to be the man that can fight and protect Hermione from anything else. _I_ need to help her. I need-_ his thoughts were interrupted by his new found determination.

He walked back to his temporary workstation and closed the door, a soft _click! _echoing in the room. Without a second thought he summoned all his notes and potions, rolling his sleeves up as everything was set up. He took a one of the vials containing one of his theorized antidotes and held it up to his eye-level. _I will work harder for you, Hermione. I will continue find a way to heal you, no matter what it takes. _He smiled for the for the second time that night.

* * *

"Healer Malfoy, there is a phone call for you," the receptionist said.

Draco rushed to his office and shut the door. He picked up the telephone, "This is Healer Malfoy."

"Hello Draco." Draco furrowed his brows.

"Mum? What's wrong?"

"Come home, now." Narcissa hung up.

* * *

Seconds later, Draco stumbled out of the floo network, nearly tripping over his own feet. He looked up to see their guest. He nodded slightly. "Blaise." He straightened himself and walked closer to him.

"Now, we can get going," Blaise started. "We got a call from the hospital in America…"Everyone held their breath.

"They told me a couple of things. First, they don't know what's going on. Don't worry, she isn't under critical condition anymore. They were able to get rid of the curse; however, she isn't waking up. They say there is a slight possibility that her body had tried to fight off the curse, but rebounded and ended up putting her in a coma. She's been that way for a couple months now. She is still alive, but they don't know when…or if... she will wake up," he gnawed on the inside of his cheek, waiting for them to give him the 'okay' to go on.

Draco held his ground and nodded, his eyes dulled completely. "Go on."

"There was a new potion that they tested on her. What it is, is like a liquid Penseive. The concept is simple. With her brainwaves hooked up to a monitor, they were able to access her memories: specifically, the day of her attack. Two things stuck out. One, the wandless spell was actually an strong illusion spell that can make the person feel as if it is really happening. Two.." His eyes widened slightly. _So that's why she said that…_

"Ah…Two, she was looking at an illusion herself. The reason why she attacked all of the Death Eaters at once was because she was provoked. Apparently, before Astoria left, she brought out her last weapon of choice, Scorpius. It seemed like she couldn't tell the difference between what was fake and what was real, her condition in mind and all of that. Astoria made it so that he was watching Hermione get assaulted…sexually. Very convincing illusion. Scorpius was screaming and everything."

Draco covered his eyes, breathing in slowly. _Merlin, she was raped as well? And using Scorpius. What it Merlin's name-_

"Scorpius is alright, correct?" Blaise asked. Everyone nodded grimly. Ever since Hermione's attack, he began reverting back to his old, quiet self, if not worse.

Then, something clicked in Draco's head. "Hold on, Scorpius had a nightmare of Hermione not moving. Granted, we were in there, but could that mean something?"

Blaise eyes furrowed. "She hit her with that as well?" Draco gave him a questioning look. "Astoria hit with her another spell then. At the most vulnerable moments of the person's life, everything seen through one pair of eyes is manipulated and warped the utmost ways for the other. She linked that bond to Scorpius. These spells she had been using were way beyond The Dark Lord's time. I don't know how she got ahold of these. There were cases like these on young first years just before the war. Unfortunately, those students had committed suicide under the influence of the Imperius Curse soon after." All eyes looked to the flight of stairs leading upstairs, their skin turning beyond pale. Blaise immediately cut in. "Like I said, Hermione's out of the danger zone. That includes that particular curse. Scorpius is safe. The only way for him to not feel vulnerable is to get his mind off of it. No thoughts of anything bad."

Draco's mood lifted slightly. _Way ahead of you, Blaise. Huh, whaddya know. Thought of it way before anyone else did. Boy, I'm smart_. An arrogant little smirk twitched on his lips.

Blaise caught Draco's little smirk and rolled his eyes. He handed him a piece of paper, a smirk forming on his own lips as Draco's disappeared.

Draco looked at it dully before handing the paper over to his father. Lucius sighed. "So, we are scheduled for a trial."

Blaise nodded. "After investigating Mr. Weasley's apartment, we have found traces of both of your magic and fingerprints around the room. Anyways, I shall see you two next Monday to discuss what is going to happen." Blaise turned and was about to walk away, when he remembered something.

"Ah. This may be some good news for you. I forgot to mention it a while back. At first I thought I was barmy, but," he glanced at Narcissa and Lucius, "she called you two Mum and Dad. I found it strange at first, but now I understand." Narcissa broke out into a wide smile, shaking Lucius while tears fell freely. Lucius comforted his wife, holding her tightly and whispering good things to her. He nodded to Blaise as a 'thanks.'

"Until then," He gave them a nod and floo'ed back to his office.

* * *

Lucius and Draco sat beside each other in the main courtroom, the jury's box filled with people. Draco twiddled his thumbs back and forth. "Why are we sitting at the defendant's side instead of the accused seat?" he whispered to his father. Lucius shrugged.

An hour passed as the rest of the people filled in the rest of the seats, including the Minister himself. "We will now call Astoria Greengrass to the front."

Draco's gaze hardened at the sight of her. Astoria's eyes caught his and sparkled with content. She wrapped her manacled hands around the bars of her cage. "Hello, _my darling husband_," she said sweetly.

Draco was sickened and growled at her. "Shut up, you bitch. I swear, I should kill you right now-"

"Not another word, young Mister Malfoy, or else those will be your last." Draco shut up immediately.

The Minister for Magic turned his attention to Astoria. "Astoria Greengrass, you have been charged for the attempted murder of Hermione Granger. You have been charged for the gathering of murder of Harry James Potter and the Weasley family with the exception of Ronald Billius Weasley. You have been charged for the murder of Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood. How do you plead?"

"Guilty" she said with a smile.

The Minister nodded, satisfied with her answer. "You are sentenced to 50 years of life in Azkaban. Should you disobey, you will be given the Dementor's kiss in the next room after this." Astoria nodded along, not really caring.

The guards grabbed hold of her cage and began rolling her away. As they rolled her away, Astoria looked at Draco once more. "How's my little _'Mione_ and _Scor_ doing? _'Mione_ sure looks good in a hospital gown. How about _Scor_? Still has those wonderful dreams about _'Mione_? How about you, _my dearest?_ How does it feel? Bitter, isn't it? Hah, my work is done here. Sweet sweet perfection."

Draco launched out of his seat, ready to attack her, only to be held back by his father. He glared at her until she disappeared behind the door, her maniacal laughter echoing in the hallway.

Before he could do anything else, the Minister spoke up. "Young Mr. Malfoy, Lord Malfoy. Please come forward."

Both Draco and Lucius walked it to the middle of the room, facing the Minister. They stood up straight, giving the illusion of superiority and power. Draco smirked internally. _The little perks being a Malfoy has…still works wonders._

"Lucius Malfoy. Draco Lucius Malfoy. You two have been charged for the murder of Ronald Billius Weasley. How do you plead?"

They both answered in unison. "Not guilty."

The Minister scrunched up his nose distastefully. "Might I inform the both of you that Auror Zabini has found traces of the use of 'Sectumsepra' coming from Young Mr. Malfoy's wand, while laced around another spell that prevented Mr. Weasley to do anything from Lord Malfoy's wand. I'm afraid the use of two dark spells, especially coming from two Death Eaters will not get you out of this. You two will be-"

Draco cut him off. "The only reason why I performed that spell was for one thing. _He was trying to kill Hermione_. He nearly did so by placing the same spell my father put on him." He gritted out.

"I'm afraid I-"

"Don't believe me? Fine. Take my memories. Go on. They won't be tampered with. Go ahead and give me Veritaserum as well."

Everyone in the court seemed surprised; they had never seen a Death Eater give in so easily. One by one, each of the jury nodded their heads. The Minister looked around and then nodded as well. They took Draco into a separate room and did so. He then was taken back to the courtroom, reclaiming his seat beside his father.

"I've never seen you this flustered before, Draco." Lucius said nonchalantly.

"Where have you been the last twenty-plus years, father?" They looked at each other, twin smirks on their faces.

The Minister returned minutes later with a blank look on his face. He studied the two Malfoys for countless minutes. After ten minutes, he rubbed his eyes, "After witnessing such an account, the jury and I have come to a decision. Though you two are Death Eaters, you two have been let off the hook off once before by Harry Potter. Since then, you have proved yourselves that you have somewhat changed. You, Lord Malfoy, have contributed greatly to the Warfunds, Hogwarts, and the Ministry. We cannot thank you enough. You, Young Mr. Malfoy, have indeed proven that you can do something for the good by becoming a Healer. From your records, I see that you have succeeded reversing the severe effects of those who have been bitten by Fenrir Greyback. Though these are signs of change, I cannot, however, let the fact that you two have killed someone..."

The Minister paused, before adding."…That is why, you two will be placed under house arrest for the next 72 months. Both of you will only be able to go to work and home. The Ministry will be placing physical and magical trackers on you that will only be taken off once the sentence has been fulfilled. If you try and tamper with it, like using magic or physically trying to remove the tracker, your wands will be taken and the both of you will be sent to Azkaban immediately. Is that understood?"

Draco and Lucius swallowed loudly and nodded. The Minister hit his gavel, signaling his final say. Just before he left, Draco ran up to him. "Um, Minister. I have to ask. Not that I am disappointed with the arrangements or anything, but why the sudden change in our sentence?"

The Minister looked at him straight in the eye, a glint of irritation shimmered in his eyes. "'A little bird told me to.'"

Draco looked at him confusedly, but let it go. "Thank you though, _Theo_."

Theodore Nott smiled, his business facade vanished for the moment. "No problem, mate." His voice lowered to a whisper. "And just so you know, it took one Obliviate and an Imperius Curse to get them to agree with me."

Draco smirked. "I was wondering where your Slytherin side was at. Oh, and we're still not even…_ex-death eater._" Theo's eyes shined with amusement.

* * *

An hour later, Draco and Lucius emerged from the green flames, both looking relieved and tired.

Scorpius shot out of Narcissa's arms and ran to Draco. He immediately opened his arms and hugged Scorpius tightly. "Hello, Scor." Draco rested him on his hip, kissing his cheek while rubbing his back softly.

Lucius made his way to his wife, holding her hands while rubbing her hands with his thumbs in a calming motion. "Calm yourself dear. There is nothing to worry about." He told her of the Minister's decision and watched her relax considerably.

Narcissa's lips turned up slightly. "That's good. I can't bear to see any more of my family to be taken away from me."

Everyone's expressions turned glum as they part their ways to different sections of the house. Just before they all dispersed, they heard the sound of the floo network go off once again. They all sighed with a heavy heart and slowly made their way to the living room once again.

* * *

Just as they were facing the door that was separating them and the room, they heard a faint but recognizable voice. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening. "Could it be?" Narcissa shifted her gaze to her husband.

Scorpius gasped and jumped out of his father's arms. 'MUMMY!' Scorpius ran towards her voice, trailing behind the smoke trails Draco left behind. Draco tore open the doors and let out a loud cry in happiness.

Hermione stood there with a big smile. Her skin was marred with faint scars, but her skin was glowing with health. He lifted her hand and waved and him slightly. "H-"

Suddenly, a loud squeal echoed through the room as little Scorpius sprinted towards her. She knelt down with open arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his body. "My, my, love. You have grown taller. Even more cute and handsome than before. What happened to that little boy that I loved to play 'pretend' with?"

She teased lightly as she checked him over to see if he was okay. She was still feeling some minor effects of her torture, mainly about Scorpius' health. _Thank Merlin, he's okay. _She showered kisses all over his face.

He shook his head back and forth, tears soaking her shirt. "I'm still here mummy. I'm so glad you are okay. I thought I was going to lose you like the time that funny orange-haired man took you. I missed you so much. I slept in your bed every night, hugging your sleep clothes. Daddy also gave me a book to read. It had a long story about you and two other people. He said that it was your favorite book..."

Hermione smiled as he continued to talk. Once he finished, she begins to talk. "I'm sorry for worrying you, my sweet love. I didn't want to put any of you in harms way, especially you. You mean so much to me Scorpius. I love you with all my heart, I hope you know that." She felt him squeeze tighter and placed a kiss on his neck. "C'mon, let's meet up with the rest of them and then we can play together. Unless, you are too old for 'pretend?'" she looks at him with a mischievous grin.

Scorpius shook his head back and forth, shouting "No! I'm never too old for that mummy. I've been waiting to play that game. I haven't played that game ever since you were gone, but I don't want you to feel any pain when we play. I can wait," he suggested, squeezing her hands.

She gave him a smile and shook her head. "I'll be up there in a few minutes, okay?" He nodded, making his way up the stairs while waiting patiently for her.

Hermione turned to the rest of the family, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry. I was just worried about him. I mean I was worried about all of you, I just-"

She was cut off as Narcissa ran to her and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "My dear, we are so glad you are okay. Last time was scary, but this time, it was a _living nightmare_. You have a knack for attracting bad luck." Hermione giggled bashfully, causing Narcissa to smile. "Ah. I have missed that smile. It is really great to have you back here, Hermione. I cannot tell you how much I have missed you. I'm glad that you don't have to worry about that family any longer. You are completely safe. Oh! Which reminds me. We-"

Hermione stifled her giggles when she saw Lucius cut Narcissa off. "I'm glad that you are well, Hermione. You did give us quite a scare, but you are back. We are all grateful for that. Yes, that is strange coming from me. If it makes you feel better, I now don't have to deal with Draco's moping." His eyes rolled to the side, gesturing to Draco. "Which reminds me, your mother has some interesting stories to tell you about Draco's younger days and how he wouldn't stop talking about can work that out," he said, creating an even lighter feeling in the room. _It really is good to have you back, my dear._

Lucius felt two pairs of eyes glaring at his back. He turned and caught the eyes of his son. "Oh, Draco," he said dully, "You seriously need to make yourself heard. Wear a bell or something. Learn to make yourself noticeable. Merlin, you have too much of me in you…" He turned to his wife and bit his lip. He watched as the vein on her forehead was pulsing. "Ehm, love I didn't mean to-" All of a sudden, his head connected with her hand.

"Idiot! I was still talking!" She turned back to Hermione and smiled brightly. "As I was saying earlier, we must make up for lost time. Lucius is right though! I must tell you the summer just before your second year…ah! I'll tell you the rest of that, but first," she took Hermione's hand in hers, giving her a loving smile. She tugged her close and whispered in her ear, "You have put such a strain on _your_ poor mother's heart and now that you are back, you are going to do me a little of it as what the Muggles call 'being grounded.' I am going to drug you and force you to have a baby with Draco and make him marry you out of wedlock. When you two are married, I will lock you in one of the rooms, making sure that you will never see the light of day again. Only then will I feel better and forgive you for all this pain."Hermione's jaw dropped. She turned to Draco, blushing at the thought of being pregnant.

Narcissa took her silence as a yes. "Wonderful! We shall go tomorrow morning! Lucius?" She grabbed his collar and pulled her so he was face to face with her. She gave him a small smirk and lowered her voice, "I believe you deserve a bit of a punishment for what you have done earlier." Lucius' eyes widened and swallowed loudly, a faint blush dusted his cheeks. Narcissa walked away and dragged Lucius along, waving her hand at the two as she made her way upstairs. She whispered in his ear, _I'll be borrowing a extra few thousand galleons from our account tomorrow as well, darling. I also found this adorable little number that I know will knock the socks off Draco. Plus, I have the little gazebo in the garden has been finished quite recently._ Lucius looked at her before it dawned on him.

"So soon, Cissy?" He saw a mischievous smirk form on her lips before she placed a finger on her lips and slammed the door to their room with her foot. Lucius swallowed. _Merlin, my wife is crazy..._

* * *

Draco decided to speak up,causing the silence between them to dispel as the continued to stare at the doors that lead to the stairs. "I swear, those two like to do that just to piss me off. Well, that or make me want to stab my eyes out with a fork. Those are images I would like to not have burned in my mind." He smiled when she erupted in fits of laughter.

He turned his attention and began making his way to her. Once he approached her, he pulled her to him and embraced her tightly. He felt as her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him tightly to her. They stood there for minutes, relishing the feeling of each other's form.

"I'm so glad you are okay, love. I thought…I thought you were going to die, just like before. It felt like you did when Zabini informed us about your condition. I spent every single day trying to find a solution so I could get you _home_, but I ended up failing. Each time I tried again, it would always end up in a failure. I felt like a failure to you…I felt so useless…I didn't know how to live with myself."

Hermione continued to look at him silently, her heart swelling "Every second without you was so difficult. Sometimes I would do what Scor did. Although I didn't sleep in your old room, I did bring out some of your clothes and hug them to sleep on _our_ bed in _our_ room. I swear to Merlin, you have made me soft, Hermione. You have cut through all of my hard exterior and brought out the best of me. Anyway, I know I haven't said this before, I should have. All this time, every single second of the day since the day you stepped in this place, I have loved being with you. At first it was just you being my patient, but as time went on it began to change. You've brought so much happiness and fun into this home. You've looked past our history and yet I wanted to do so much more for you. Being your doctor wasn't enough. When I saw your state of being change into a better one, I felt like I wanted to keep it that way. I became fond of our little conversations and how you would react to even the littlest of things. I already knew how much you adored Scor by the way both your eyes and his would light up when you see each other. You became something…no…someone that I wanted to have in my life, permanently, alongside the rest of my family. Once you were officially staying with us, I knew this was a chance for me to try and win your heart. I had a feeling you were going to reject me at first, but after you said yes to Scor I realized at that point that I would do everything I can to make you happy. I…what I'm trying to say is…well, maybe I've let it slip a few times but-"

Hermione glided her hand down his back slowly, chuckling as he started to mumble. "What you're trying to say is that you love me, right? Yes, I know how hard it is for you Malfoy men to declare your love to a woman. You don't need to say it, Draco. Although, it would be nice to hear it from time to time." She heard Draco chuckle. "You show how much you love me every single day. You do things for me that are above and beyond my expectations. And…I love you too." Draco felt his lips curl into a warm smile and lowered his head to hers. Hermione slowly closed her eyes and leaned in when-

* * *

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Is it true that you fought against Daddy at Hogwarts? He always told me that there was som-"He stopped and looked at the two. "EWWWW!"

They both separated from each other and found Scorpius with his hands covering his eyes.

Scorpius had been wondering what was taking Hermione so long. Once he entered his room, he resumed the story that included Hermione. He had already finished the story countless times, but it made him feel better. He knew she just came back, but he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and decided to see if she was ready to come up.

He peaked through his fingers and stormed towards stood in front of Draco, his arms spread apart and shielding Hermione from Draco. Draco chuckled at the idea of this being Scorpius' idea of protection towards Hermione. "No one gets kisses from Mummy until we're done playing together! Especially Daddy! Those are special, and they are for me! Only me!" They watched as he put his hands on his hips, his face scrunched up together.

Draco and Hermione burst into laughter. They kneeled so that they were at eye-level with Scorpius. "Is that so, Scor? What if I ask Mummy for one and she says yes?" Draco asked. Hermione put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling.

Scorpius looked at him, contemplating his answer. "You have to ask me if you can have one," he smiled at his answer to his dad.

Draco looked up and locked eyes with Hermione. _You have some tough competition, love. _Draco smirked.

_Ah, they don't call me the Slytherin Prince for nothing, my dear._ He looked down at Scorpius and nodded. "Okay. I will ask you," he lifted Scorpius off the ground and spun him around in his arms, "after our little game of 'pretend.''' Scorpius nodded and Draco set him down. Scorpius raced back upstairs to set up his room.

The two shook their heads and smiled as they watched him go. Hermione began to make her way upstairs when she felt Draco wrap his hand around his waist. He pulled her to him and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Hermione returned the kiss with as much passion until the two ran out of breath and broke the kiss.

"You sneaky Slytherin," she panted out with a smile.

"Don't you know it," he said as he went in for another kiss.

She placed her index finger on his lips, "Later. I don't want to keep Scorpius waiting. I owe that sweet boy for waiting for me all this time."

Draco pecked her finger and nodded in understanding. He took her hand in his and made their way to Scorpius' room. He leaned down to her ear and whispered before they entered. She smiled. _Welcome home, love._

* * *

**A/N: '****_Nox Atra Melle'_**** means 'Black Night Honey.' '****_Lacero'_**** means 'shred' or 'rip.' Thanks for reading! :)**


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